Lucian followed Transcend Red out of the Spectrum Chamber in silence. Not a word was spoken as she led him to the front yard. She walked quickly, seeming to want this over with as soon as possible. The brown grass almost glowed under the light of the star-filled sky. His stomach rumbled—he hadn’t eaten a bite since the evening meal yesterday. But he was not about to complain about it, especially now.

  Once they reached the eastern cliff, they came to a stop.

  “Stand here,” Transcend Red instructed.

  Lucian obeyed. Her red robes swirled at a gust of wind as she donned her hood. She looked like a pissed-off Little Red Riding Hood. It took all his self-control not to laugh at the thought.

  “Is something amusing, Novice?”

  Her cloak shifted slightly, revealing a shockspear at her hip. His urge to laugh dissipated completely.

  “No, Transcend Red. I’m prone to laugh when I’m nervous.”

  “Indeed? Well, you must learn to control your emotions. That’s the entire reason you’re here to begin with, is it not?”

  He tried not to balk at her superior tone. It wouldn’t get him anywhere.

  “It is, Transcend Red.”

  “The Focus is the key to controlling emotion, not just magic. Close your eyes, Novice.”

  Lucian did so immediately. Slacking in obedience would only make things worse.

  “Imagine your Focus,” she said. “Recall it well. Are you confused, Novice, that your punishment might only be further training?” She gave a throaty chuckle. “I find that punishment rarely has the intended effect. At best, it only makes the recipient fear you. Fear can be useful. But fear is not the goal here. Competency is.”

  Lucian nodded to show he understood.

  “Imagine your Focus upon a black void. That part is important. There is naught but the Focus, the foreground against an endless black. . .”

  Lucian followed her directions, imagining the black void first, and then his stone. The image held firmly, but at the same time, thoughts, fears, and memories intruded. The image swam in and out of consciousness.

  “Now,” she continued, “Feed everything into it. All your thoughts, all your fears, all your distractions. Feed them to the Focus. Each distraction only serves to make the Focus stronger and more dominant. As its roots deepen, so do yours.” A pause. “You are the Focus. You are what grows in power. You are the conduit.”

  She was training him. How many Novices could say they received personal instruction from a Transcend? He wondered what her game was. With difficulty, he forced his thoughts into the Focus, until nothing but the stone remained. The world fell away, along with the cold wind and Transcend Red’s droning voice. But the stone loomed larger than ever. A tendril of fear snaked in his stomach, a sense of coming dread that went beyond the worries of the moment. At this nameless fear, his Focus collapsed, driven from his mind in a single moment.

  He shook his head. “It’s no good.”

  “Again,” Transcend Red said. “I want you standing here until you learn to break your block the right way. Understood?”

  “I’ll freeze to death before that happens.”

  “Open your eyes.”

  Lucian opened his eyes as Transcend Red watched him severely, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

  “If you believe that’s true, then you will freeze to death.”

  With that, she stalked off, leaving him standing there on the cliff.

  Was she serious? She couldn’t be. But he didn’t dare leave. One did not disobey a Transcend, no matter how seemingly insane the order.

  So, he did what she said. He imagined that damned stone as the cold front blew from the north. He would learn to stream or die trying.

  Lucian had plenty of frustrations to feed the stone. But for every frustration he fed, two more took its place.

  Lucian didn’t know how long he stayed out there. The coldness no longer bothered him. It seemed a distant thing in the deepness of his meditation. What must have been hours later, Lucian had no trouble holding the image of the stone, even as his hands and feet went numb.

  It was progress, however small.

  “Lucian?”

  His Focus shattered as he opened his eyes to see Emma watching him with a worried expression.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “You must be freezing, standing out here!”

  His mind had been floating in another reality, and it took a moment to rejoin this one. The stars had shifted positions. How late was it? Emma was still watching him, waiting for an answer.

  “Transcend Red told me to stand out here and practice my Focus, and to not stop until I’d learned to stream. So, that’s what I’ve been doing.”

  “Transcend Red?” she asked. “She told you?”

  Lucian nodded, and for the first time, he realized how cold it had gotten. His teeth began to chatter. “It’s my punishment. They found out it was me. Is it dinner yet?”

  “Dinner’s over. Rhea mentioned she saw you out here.”

  “I see,” he said. “Well, the Transcends decided to keep me on, at least for now. Khairu reported me to them. She saw it all happen.”

  Emma shook her head. “Well, I can see her doing that. It’s well below freezing out here, and they didn’t even let you grab your heavy cloak? You have nothing on but that robe!”

  “Builds discipline. Haven’t you heard?”

  “Stop,” she said. “Let’s get inside. Some of the Talents were talking about a snowstorm, and I don’t want you to turn into a popsicle.”

  Indeed, a few flakes were already floating down, touching Lucian’s face. A sheet of low, menacing clouds was approaching from the north, blocking out the stars. The hammer of northern autumn was about to fall.

  Once inside, Lucian and Emma warmed themselves by the central brazier. Then, they headed back to the dining hall, where there was still a pot of stew over the hearth. Hadn’t she already eaten? He didn’t understand why she was following him.

  Then, he remembered. It was because of his mother. She wanted to be near him, to make sure he was okay. Just the thought of his mother made icy numbness spread outward from his chest. He wanted nothing more than for this day to be over, to sleep, and to know nothing more.

  “I can’t believe Transcend Red had you out there after what happened,” she said, joining him as he sat down. “I’d heard she was cold, but I guess we know personally now.”

  A couple of Talents, both women in their early thirties, entered the dining hall. They took up their bowls of stew and sat at the Talents’ table. It was quiet for a minute until Lucian overheard one of them talking. Lucian thought her name was Pila. She had a pinched face and black hair set tightly in a bun.

  Lucian continued eating, focusing on their conversation.

  “Who do you think did it?”

  “They say Novice Lucian was out in the yard, doing penance,” the other Talent said. Lucian couldn’t remember her name, but he thought it was Lana. She was tall, with close-cropped hair and sharp blue eyes. From both Talents’ purple sashes, they were disciples of Transcend Violet.

  “Lucian?” Pila snorted. “I won’t deny he was doing penance, but not for that!”

  “Well then, who?” Lana asked.

  “A Novice could never do something like that. Not ever.”

  The two lapsed into silence, and Lucian focused on eating. It was as if he weren’t even there because they didn’t bother to look over. Perhaps because he was facing away, they hadn’t recognized him. He had half a mind to turn around and tell them off, but what was the point? Why earn himself extra chores on top of everything else he was going through?

  Emma turned around, her cheeks red, but Lucian touched her arm. “Don’t.”

  “But . . .”

  “Please,” he said. “It’s not worth it. They’ll just give you sweeping duty or something.” He let out a sigh. “I should go anyway.”

  “You’ve barely eaten, though. And if you leave now, it might look weird.”

  He was confused at first until she saw her looking at the two Talents. Yes, it might look suspicious if he left so shortly after the Talents’ conversation. They would know he had heard, and perhaps had a guilty conscience.

  They waited until the Talents left, and then Emma and Lucian cleaned up. He had never felt so tired or defeated. The sooner this day was over, the better. He felt a sickness in body and spirit that was too heavy for words.

  But he had to go on. He had to keep up a front.

  Talent Eurice, a Green Talent with a pasty complexion, came in for his meal. Lucian couldn’t help but feel Eurice’s eyes on him as he cleaned. Finally, the older Talent saw fit to break the silence.

  “Is it true what people are saying?”

  Lucian didn’t have the energy for this. “Is what true?”

  “Did you do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “Stop playing coy, Novice. The iceberg.”

  “Are you kidding? I haven’t even broken my block yet. You think I could break an entire iceberg?”

  Talent Eurice studied him, his thick black brows knitting together on his pockmarked face. His giant ears made him look like a monkey. “You were summoned by the Spectrum, right?”

  Lucian paused, considering his next response. "Where did you hear that?”

  “Half the Academy knows by now. I heard it from Talent Pila.”

  Emma watched the conversation with a worried expression but didn’t intervene.

  “Whatever the Spectrum and I discussed isn’t your concern. If you wish to know, maybe you can ask them about it.”

  If the Talent didn’t get the hint from that, Lucian didn’t know what else to say.

  Eurice didn’t get the hint. “I’ve heard many things about you, Lucian. It’s hard to guess the truth from lies.”

  “I’m sure you have heard many things. How could you not?”

  Eurice looked confused for a moment until Emma giggled from beside the fire, where she had been cleaning up.

  Eurice’s cheeks, and then his enormous ears, reddened. “This is unbecoming of you, Novice.”

  “Forgive me,” Lucian said. “Talent Ear-rice.”

  Eurice’s face reddened even further. “I’ll see you on bathroom duty for such insolence! Unless you have something else to add?”

  “I do not. Goodnight, Talent Eurice. And for future reference, it’s unbecoming of a Talent to take part in rumors that may or may not be true. That is, if we are both following the same rules prescribed by the Transcends.”

  When Lucian left, Eurice didn’t push the issue further, nor did he give him any details about his “chamber pot duty.”

  Emma joined Lucian, and they headed back toward the dormitories. Once out of earshot of the dining hall, she turned to him.

  “That was amazing! I’ve always wanted to tell a Talent off like that.”

  “I’m beyond caring at this point.”

  His tone seemed to pop her bubble. “Okay. Well, let me know if you need someone to talk to.”

  “Thanks for being here for me. I know I’m not easy to be around, especially now.”

  “I understand. I’m here for you, all right? Don’t be a stranger.”

  All Lucian could do was manage a nod.

  He hurried back to his room. When he closed the door, he lit the candle on his nightstand. He sprawled on his tiny bed, a feeling of numbness overcoming him.

  Everything ran through his head in an interminable stream. It was as if he had three different channels on, each vying for control. There was his mother, the Spectrum, and his standing at the Academy. How could he ever survive here with all this going on?

  He tossed and turned for the longest time, feeling possessed by a demon. Was this what fraying felt like? Was it already happening?

  It was hours before the oblivion of sleep took him.