Page 7 of Forged in Flame and Shadow

“And you could?”

“That’s my sensic power. I can change how things taste—or at least how your mind registers taste. It’s unexpectedly useful.”

“Sure, if you want to poison people without them noticing,” I shoot back. He has the decency to look ashamed.

“I was just?—”

“Following orders. Yes, I know,” I say, glaring daggers at Leon’s back.

The freckled fae stops at the end of a long corridor, gesturing to a set of doors engraved with images of the god Ralus and his queen Lusteris.

“Proctor Gallis’s office is just beyond the antechamber. She’s expecting you.”

“Wait here,” Leon says to the group. “Morgana and I will meet with her alone.”

Tira throws me a questioning look, asking if I’m okay with this. I shrug, willing to let Leon’s games play out for now.

As we pass through the antechamber, I find myself studying his face for some clue as to what he expects from this meeting. But then I remind myself I’d probably misread anything I saw. I’ve been getting Leon all wrong for a while now.

Leon knocks and opens the door to what must be Gallis’s office. The moment we enter the room, I’m hit with the smell of old books. They’re stacked two deep on shelves that stretch from the floor to the ceiling. A desk at one end of the room has more piled on it still.

It takes me right back to the library at Gallawing, and I’m struck with a surprising wave of yearning. I might have never seen the manor as my home, but for a long time that room full of history books, novels, and maps was my refuge—my way to visit the rest of the world without leaving my prison. I stare hungrily at the tomes now, tempted by the knowledge they must contain.

It takes me a moment to notice the woman behind the desk, my eyes only going to her when she rises to greet us.

“Proctor Gallis,” Leon says.

She inclines her head. “Your Highness.”

Proctor Gallis’s black hair is streaked with silver and swept up in a pile on top of her head. She wears blue robes like everyone else here, but hers are a deep midnight shade, complementing her dark skin and bright brown eyes. A little star, embroidered in gold thread, adorns the cuff on each of her sleeves.

“And this is Her Highness Princess Morgana Angevire of Trova,” Leon says. I blink, my official title sounding strange to me. Gallis eyes me with interest for a moment before she inclines her head to me.

“My apologies for the lack of ceremony around your arrival,” she says, though there’s a twinkle in her eye that tells me she’s not too concerned. “The Lyceum isn’t used to the kind of courtly rituals they have in Lavail, so I’m afraid I have little fanfare to offer.”

“I think you and I both know fanfare is precisely what we wish to avoid right now,” Leon says.

“Indeed,” Gallis replies with a knowing nod.

I have no idea what they’re talking about—except for the impression that Leon wants to be discreet about our presence here. That must be why we didn’t stop anywhere of note on our way to the Lyceum. But Leon is a prince of Filusia, and we’re in his domain, so what is he trying to hide, and from whom?

“When can you begin?” Leon asks Gallis.

“Well, that depends. You’re probably worn out from your travels, Your Highness.” I start when I realize Gallis is addressing me.

“A little,” I say, giving Leon a look that demands he explain himselfnow.

“Proctor Gallis is also a solari,” he says. “She’s going to be your mentor.”

I gape, my eyes flicking to the stars at her wrists again. The fae told me solari work and live freely in Filusia, but it’s one thing to be told that. To see it with your own eyes…

“I’ve never met another solari before,” I say, suddenly shy.

Gallis smiles at me. “We are few and far between even in Filusia, so it is always a pleasure to meet a kindred spirit. His Highness tells me you are quite the talent.”

I throw Leon a sideways look. “He does, does he?”

Apparently, Leon was in contact with this woman while we were traveling. That makes me wary. What else does she know about me? How much do Iwanther to know? There’s more than one person in this world who wishes me dead, and as news of my celestial abilities spread, that number is sure to grow.

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