When Lucian awoke, it was still dark. When he checked his slate for the time, it read 44:12.

  Even though he’d slept a full twelve hours, it was still dark outside the portholes and would be for hours yet. That was going to be hard to get used to.

  Lucian stumbled into the galley and found some microwavable meals in the freezer. He warmed one up, some fish over rice with a spicy red sauce. It was different, but not terrible. He supposed fish was the main meat of this world for obvious reasons.

  He ate, and from the bridge watched Emma and Khairu talking near the bow, illuminated by the glowing sea. Once finished, Lucian washed his plate and headed to the stern, not wanting to interrupt.

  The night was halfway over, but there was still no sign of dawn in the west. The reefs from the evening before were gone, replaced by colder, deeper waters. The wind was cooler here, and the full sails pushed Lightsail at a steady clip. They would be far north of Karendas by now. Looking up at foreign constellations, he had never felt so far from everyone and everything.

  “There you are.”

  Emma joined him at the railing. They watched the sailboat churn a glowing trail that stretched to the horizon—a horizon that seemed slightly too near. Since they’d set out, they hadn’t seen a sign of any other ship or even a plane. Volsung was an empty world compared to Earth. It was as if the whole planet were their own.

  "Are you okay?” she asked.

  He wasn’t sure how to answer that. “I’m trying to convince myself I haven’t made a huge mistake.”

  She was quiet for a moment. “Do you feel like you have?”

  “If I’m not accepted here, I don’t have a fallback plan. It’s all or nothing.”

  “Well, same here. Even so, you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

  “I wish I had your confidence.”

  “Why are you doubting things?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Khairu seems a bit . . . cold to me. Like I’m a waste of space. What if the Transcends feel the same way?”

  “Well, she does seem to be a bit uptight. I wouldn’t take it too personally. Besides, I have that intuition about you. It’s all going to work out fine in the end.”

  “Vera said the same thing about intuition,” Lucian said. “Except she had the intuition that I was going to follow her.”

  “Well, you’re here. Doesn’t that prove her wrong?”

  It was hard to argue with that. But it still felt as if he were missing something. Only Lucian didn’t know what.

  “I’m struggling, too,” Emma said. “I just sent one last message out to my parents. If the training is what Khairu’s saying, I probably won’t hear from them again. I . . . told them everything in case they haven’t figured it out yet. That lifted the burden off my shoulders a bit. Once I’m at the Academy, there isn’t a thing they can do about it.”

  Silence followed these words. There was nothing but the sound of the ship plying through the water and the rush of cool wind.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “It helps knowing I’m not alone,” she said. “Even if you’re doubting yourself, Lucian, that’s natural. I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Thanks. That . . . helps me feel a bit better. So, you’ve been talking to Khairu?”

  “A little. She’s . . . hard to read. But I want to learn. She’ll be one of the Talents training us, assuming we get in. She’s a Dynamist.”

  “A Dynamist?”

  “She specializes in the Aspect of Dynamism. Electricity, magnetism, and other things of that nature.”

  “I see. Getting a head start on training, then?”

  “That’s the idea.”

  “Well, at least you’re sure you have a place here. Why else would the Transcends bother to fetch you?” He looked into the distance. “Me, though? I can’t be so sure.”

  “You’ll be fine.”

  “I wish I knew what would happen. If I had that, then I would know what comes next. Learn how to be a mage, become a Talent, and follow orders. Easy enough, right?”

  Emma laughed. “You’re worried over nothing. When I get an intuition, it’s never wrong.” She took his silence as an invitation to explain herself further. “I can’t explain it. Maybe Vera isn’t wrong about everything.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It just . . . feels like there is something different about you. Something that pulls me.” Even in the darkness, Lucian could see her cheeks coloring. “No, not like . . . that.” The color deepened, betraying her feelings even further.

  Lucian couldn’t help but laugh. “Still trying to pretend that there’s nothing between us?”

  She huffed. “I’m not pretending! You’re too much. Actually, we should talk about that. Where we’re going, they won’t look kindly on . . . I don’t know. Whatever this is. This nebulous will they or won’t they sort of thing.”

  The space between them, Lucian had noticed, had somehow shrunk during their conversation. As if conscious of that, Emma shifted her position a step away.

  “Will they, won’t they . . .” Lucian mused. “So, you’re saying there’s a chance?”

  She smiled, though she had tried not to. “I won’t deny that there’s something. But how is it supposed to work?”

  He clung to the railing and kept his eyes on the passing ocean. Saying all of this was hard, but it needed to be said. “The last thing I want is to jeopardize our chances at the Academy. That means we have to keep something of a distance once we’re there.”

  She was quiet for a long time. Had he said something wrong?

  “Is that what you want, Lucian?”

  They were the last words he expected to hear. He had expected her to thank him for understanding, and that would be that. “What does what I want matter? The training comes first, right?”

  He could feel her eyes on him. Somehow, they were standing close again, close enough for their shoulders to touch. Though it felt good, it was painful knowing it couldn’t last.

  She stepped aside to give space again. “Confusion is the last thing I need right now.” She heaved a sigh. “I guess it’s just a bit . . . unfortunate, you know? It could have been something. We’ve got bigger priorities now.”

  She took his hand. That touch was friendly, not romantic. She squeezed his hand, a shade too long. That wasn’t friendly.

  “What do you want, Emma?”

  She didn’t remove her hand, nor did Lucian pull his own away.

  “You asked me the same question,” he went on. “It’s only fair, right?”

  When she looked down at the deck, he was surprised to see tears forming in her eyes. She had no answer other than to continue holding his hand. It was as though staying quiet, not answering, would make it all go away.

  It took effort, but Lucian pulled his hand away gently. Her posture seemed to freeze with that action.

  It felt . . . wrong. So, he reached out and took her hand again. Her posture thawed, and her face turned toward his. She was so beautiful under the starlight. Looking into her eyes, words and intentions no longer mattered. Only she did.

  Under the northern night sky of Volsung, his lips touched hers. They stood a long time in that warm embrace, neither wanting to let go. He felt her power, her need for him, and knew the truth. What was between them was more powerful than others’ expectations.

  One day, the timing would be right. Or at least, that was what he hoped.

  When they parted, Lucian held her close for a while, letting her head fall under his chin, where it felt at home. Her tears ran warm against his neck.

  She took a shuddering breath. “I’m . . . sorry.”

  He closed his eyes. “Don’t be.”

  At last, they stood apart, holding each other’s hands a moment longer before letting go.

  Emma wiped her face clean of tears. “We should head up front. Wait five minutes before you follow me.”

  With that, she was gone. Though he felt empty without her by his side, it was also the beginning of something else. In one more Volsung day, they would both be at the Academy, starting their training as its newest mages.

  At least, that was Lucian’s hope.