Page 20 of Silverbow
Her father, Marwar, and Del silently crowded into the doorway. Enya was acutely aware of just how small the room had become. Her eyes darted, searching frantically for open space. A tilt of her father’s head caught her eye. His nostrils flared and his chest rose in a silent reminder to breathe.
Enya swallowed, inhaled, and squared her shoulders.The room is the same size it has always been.Behind the wielders, he gave a barely perceptible nod.Walls do not press. They stay where they are.
“Good afternoon, children. My name is Louissa Adler, and I will be your Tester today.”
Enya’s gaze riveted to the hawk-nosed woman. Her companions filed around the sofa to stand within easy reach. As they moved, Enya caught the glint of silver above black collars, marking them all as Recruits, and her mouth went dry as old parchment.
The teapot rose with Louissa Adler’s hand, and Enya failed to stifle her sharp intake of breath. It hovered over the table, pouring a cup seemingly of its own accord. Beside her, Liam pressed himself back into the sofa until he realized that put him nearer the water wielder towering over him. Where her sleeve slipped back, silver glinted at her wrist, wearing the link to the collars that waited behind them.
A smug smile lit Louissa Adler’s hard face. With another wave, the cup and saucer floated into her outstretched hand. A pin could have dropped in the drawing room, and it would have sounded like a firecracker in the silence.
The wielder took a sip and cleared her throat. “By order of His Majesty the King, Pallas of House Davolier, High King of Estryia and Defender of the Dragon’s Dream, it is unlawful to possess an uncontained wielding gift. We offer the Testing as an opportunity to submit yourself for evaluation.”
Uncontained. Opportunity.The words made Enya clench her jaw.
“Not only is it a matter of safety, but it is a great honor to serve His Majesty as a Recruit. There are no others on the premises?” She directed the last to the Recruit with the spirit wielder’s patch.
“No.”
“Master Lorry will inspect your papers.”
With a quiet rustling, the adults each drew out small folded pieces of parchment and pressed them into the hands of the scribe’s apprentice. One by one, they were compared against the roll.
Louissa turned back to her and Liam. “Let us begin. Your names and ages.”
“Liam Marsh, twenty-one.”
“Enya Ryerson, twenty.”
The scribe hummed and Louissa raised an eyebrow.
“What is it, Lorry?”
He scratched at a bushy brow with the end of his quill.
“Curious,” he said, peering around at her.
If they didn’t get on with this, she really was going to be sick.
“What, Lorry?” Louissa demanded with enough acidity Enya and Liam both flinched.
“Nothing, Wielder Adler. Only that Scribemaster Velolin originally recorded her dark of hair and eye, but I see here it was corrected just after her first name day.”
Scribes had remarked on the annotation before, but Enya looked frantically from Louissa to her father, and her father’s words suddenly floated back to her.There’s not been a wielder in the bloodline for what, five generations?Enya had far bigger worries than an old footnote.
“Is it a problem, Lorry?” The air wielder snapped.
“No, Wielder Adler,” he said quickly. “Scribemaster Namoran gave it his seal. It is only curious.”
Louissa Adler sighed, the annoyance plain on her face. “Then let us be on with it. You know that to lie to a Tester is a crime punishable by death?”
“Yes,” Liam said.
Louissa looked at her expectantly, but Enya didn’t dare open her mouth. A nod was all she could manage.
“You are the only two of Testing age that reside in this household?”
“Yes.”
