The sound of rapid knocking dragged me out of sleep. It took me a few seconds to realize it was coming from my door.

  "Mae, wake up— it's almost noon! We've got to go!" Ariel called from the other side.

  I nearly threw myself out of bed, sending Rose flying in the process. I was still so groggy that it felt like I'd woken up mid-nap. The tea must have been much stronger than I thought. Still... I'd never felt this rested before. My whole body felt light, and all the aches and pains that had plagued me were gone.

  "I'll be ready in a second!" I croaked.

  I scrambled into my dress, grabbed my bag, and shoved my foot into one shoe while hopping to the door as I tried to get the second one on. I didn't even take a chance to look at myself in the mirror. Rose had caught herself mid catapult and was hovering in the air, watching my struggle. She giggled and dove into my messy hair just as I opened the door.

  "Hey, sorry! I hope I didn't oversleep—"

  Both Ariel and Caelin turned toward me as I stepped out. Caelin immediately flushed bright red and snapped his gaze to the ceiling.

  "Nope—not yet. Almost, though," he said with a nervous laugh.

  "What? What's wrong?" I asked.

  Still staring upward, Caelin pointed vaguely in my direction.

  I looked down and realized I'd forgotten to cinch the top of my dress. A very distracting amount of cleavage was on display.

  "Oops!" I said, flushing with embarrassment. I quickly turned around and tied it up.

  "It's okay," Ariel said with a teasing laugh. "You do have a nice figure." She reached out and helped me straighten out my bed-head hair. "One of these days, we'll get you some proper clothes—once the trials are over, that is."

  "That'd be nice..." I mumbled, still mentally face-palming.

  "Well, ladies," Caelin said, finally daring to lower his eyes. "If we're all ready, we'd better get a move on."

  We both nodded before hurrying over to the test site.

  ~~~

  It didn't take long to reach the testing location. The information we'd learned yesterday helped us find it quickly, not that it was hard to spot in the first place. I gasped as we approached the massive building.

  Hundreds of people, all shapes and sizes, had gathered at the base of the building. The massive double doors were carved with intricate designs of flowing wind and water. They towered above the crowd, still firmly shut. The building rose several stories high, with smooth stone pillars at its base that seemed to be formed straight from the ground. Light blue gems decorated the walls, reflecting the light of the midday sun. It looked as if someone had fused a gothic cathedral with community center building. It was grand and otherwordly, yet odly inviting at the same time.

  The crowd that had gathered was a kaleidoscope of species. Humans mingled with Lanarians, and countless subspecies of Zutari shuffled about. What really caught my eye though, were the handful of people I didn't recognize. The best way to describe them would be angles and devils, or something in between. The devilish types had spaded tails and horns, while the angelic ones had small wings on their back.

  I leaned towards Ariel and whispered, "What's that race called?"

  "Those are the Drevai," she whispered back. "They're rare these days. I've heard they either specialize in light or dark magic—or they have a really strong affinity for a single element."

  "That's pretty cool... I kinda hope we get to meet one."

  As we shuffled for space, I continued to scan the crowd around us. People dressed like mages huddled together, practicing with their wands and staves. Some looked like warriors or fighters, adjusting their armor or weapons as they shifted with anticipation. Others fussed over mechanical trinkets, with gears clicking softly in their palms, while others held glass bottles up as if inspecting their contents.

  From the side, I heard one of the testees in armor say, "This is going to be a piece of cake," and the one next to him replied, "Oh, absolutely. I'm going to be the first one to finish!" From somewhere behind us I heard another person wail, "Son of the otherworld, I brought the wrong ingredients!"

  I listened to the nervous chatter around me for several minutes. Just as I was about to ask Ariel about the different fields of study, a loud *clank* echoed through the streets. The chatter died down as the doors began to slowly swing open.

  "It's about time!" Caelin said excitedly.

  "Indeed, I'm so curious as to what the tests will be this year!" Ariel added, a smile creeping across her lips.

  "I think I'm just nervous," I said with a shaky laugh.

  "Confidence, girl! Confidence!" Caelin said, nudging me. "You came a long way just to get here, I'm sure you'll be just fine!"

  "He's right," Ariel said. You're a fast learner. Besides, we don't even know what the tests are yet—let's save the worrying for later."

  I nodded, letting their reassurance settle in as we moved with the crowd. The flow of people carried us through the entrance. The moment we entered, a blast of cool, fresh air hit me like an air conditioned room on a hot day.

  I gasped.

  The inside was unlike any church I'd ever seen. Smooth stone, shaped earth, and gemstones lined the walls and ceiling. Several tall columns rose to the ceiling with carvings of wind and water all the way to the top. Tall, narrow windows broke up the stonework along the walls, each framed by elegant banners that fluttered as if there were a breeze inside.

  The space was enormous, far bigger than the outside suggested. Even after the last few people trickled in, there was still tons of space. While the interior was breathtaking, I found it strange that there was no art, murals, or really anything for that matter. It felt more like a dance floor, save for the runes, symbols, and patterns scattered along the floor.

  "This place is beautiful," I breathed.

  "I completely agree," Ariel said softly, her voice full of admiration.

  "It's nice, but if you want to see something really awesome, come visit Glacium some time. It'll knock your socks," Caelin bragged.

  "I'll believe it when I see it," I laughed.

  As we waited, I overheard people trying to guess what the exam might be.

  "I'll bet we have to race again," one guy said.

  "I hope it has to do with swimming," chimed in a Zutari girl with scales and a dorsal fin on her neck.

  There was a constant murmur as people chatted with each other. Some kept to themselves, while others huddled in little groups with their friends. Our group chatted for a little while about strategies and ideas for another fifteen or so minutes.

  After a little while Caelin finally said, "I wonder where the exam proctor is. You'd think we would have met the proctor, or at least heard the rules by now."

  "Yeah, it's strange," Ariel agreed.

  "Has an examiner ever missed the exam day before?" I asked.

  "Not that I've heard of," Caelin said. "We should probably give it more time though, just in case."

  At this point, some of the crowd was getting antsy. People fidgeted, tapped their feet, and twirling their belongings. Two well built Lanarians casually took off their shirts and started doing pushups and squats.

  Another thirty minutes passed, and I could see the confusion starting to build on people's faces. It seemed like nobody expected to wait this long.

  Somewhere in the crowd I heard a male voice say, "I thought the exam was supposed to start when the doors opened?"

  A few voices answered him from the same direction:

  "That's what I heard too..."

  We are in the right place aren't we?"

  "I think so..."

  "Someone said that the earth trial was first...must have been a rumor."

  After nearly two hours of waiting, one of the Lanarians who'd been working out finally stood up and yelled, "Alright, there's clearly been a mistake! I'm outta here! Move out of the way! I said move!"

  He shoved his way through the crowd with his buddies following him. They were the first to storm out of the large stone doors.

  A handful of others with worried and confused looks on their faces followed shortly after. Over the next hour, a slow trickle of people left, some crying while others complaining that they were given the wrong information. Some decided to leave and come back a little later to see if anything had changed.

  I managed to distract myself for a good portion of the time, rehearsing some of the spells I'd used in my head. Ariel twirled her wand, focused on motions and mumbling spells. Caelin had been working through blade maneuvers, swinging his blade in slow, controlled movements.

  By the time three hours had passed, Caelin finally broke the silence. "Well...what do you think guys? Should we keep waiting? Maybe we came on the wrong day or something."

  "It certainly is strange, though I'm positive the test was today. Maybe there's something else we're missing?" Ariel said, her eyes wandering around the room as if looking for a clue.

  "I don't mind waiting as long as I need to," I said. "It's not like I have anywhere I'm supposed to be, and the only thing I know is that I have to make it to the school."

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  "Fair point," Caelin said. "We came a long way just to get here, and these tests are only held once a year. What's another couple hours of waiting? I'm getting bored though, that's for sure."

  With all the people leaving, a lot of space had opened up. Of the two hundred or so that started, maybe a hundred and twenty remained.

  "I think I'll have a look around. Perhaps there's something that we're supposed to do in order to progress," Ariel said, already retrieving her bag.

  "Sounds good to me," I said. "I guess I'll wander around too. After all, it's really pretty in here. I might as well do some sightseeing in the meantime."

  Caelin shrugged, "I guess I'll just...hang out then."

  By now, the crowd had dwindled to maybe a hundred. We each went in different directions, giving each other slight head nods as we split in different directions.

  I still couldn't get over all of the spirals, lines and ancient geometric shapes that covered the floors and walls. Few of them even resembled some of the patterns on my ring, which only made everything seem more mysterious...and somehow connected.

  I wandered for another thirty minutes, tracing my fingers lightly along the carvings and following the patterns on the stone. Eventually, I stopped in front of a massive engraved circle set directly into the floor.

  "Wow..." I gasped.

  Pictures and inset gems formed a sprawling mural that seemed to tell an ancient story— one of a battle, chaos, and elemental fury. Four massive creatures clashed along the circle, each stylized but fierce. I found myself unable to look away.

  "Why'd they ever stop making art like this back home?" I asked out loud, still admiring the circle. "This is so beautiful, I wish I could take a picture."

  From behind me an unfamiliar voice said, "That picture isn't the only thing that's beautiful in here."

  I stiffened and spun around.

  A tall Lanarian guy— one of the shirtless ones from earlier— stood there. He was about as tall as Caelin, fit, with long blonde hair and pointed ears that curved slightly down. He wore earthy green pants with leather pads, and a large pouch on his hips. His shirt was slung over his shoulder, and on his back I could see a large sword similar to the one Caelin used. He wasn't exactly ugly, but he landed somewhere in between...in a try-hard kind of way.

  "Oh...haha, sorry. Yeah, the walls are pretty neat too, huh?" I replied, trying to stand a little taller.

  He chuckled and stepped closer. "No, no. I mean you." He took another step. "You're the most beautiful person in here, I just had to introduce myself." He brushed a hand through his hair in a motion that was clearly rehearsed. "Name's Derrith, but you can call me dear. And you are...?"

  * Ewwww, I hate that! *

  By now he was close enough that I had to tilt my head up to look at him.

  "Nice to meet you...Derrith." My voice came out lighter than intended. "I'm Mae, and...I'm flattered you think so, but there's definitely prettier people here..."

  Before I could react, he scooped my hand and gave it a kiss.

  "I assure you, Mae, my eyes have never been graced by such beauty before. I'm...not from around here, but even back home, I've never seen anyone quite like you."

  * EW EW EW EW! IS THIS WHAT SHELLY HAD TO DEAL WITH DAILY? This guy totally reminds me of Derrick...no way... *

  Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought I heard the annoying laugh that sent me here in the first place.

  I quickly pulled my hand away, trying to hide the fact that I was wiping it off on my dress. As badly as I wanted to confirm my suspicion, I decided I didn't want anything to do with him.

  "You're much too kind Derric—Derrith. Unfortunately, I have to go...I uhm...left some friends waiting for me."

  I turned to leave, but he grabbed my hand again.

  "Oh, come on," he said, smirking. "I'm sure I'm way more fun than your friends. Besides, we're stuck here waiting anyway. Might as well do it with someone exciting, right?"

  I tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong, or maybe I was too weak. Either way, I gave it another tug, to which he just squeezed harder. It was actually starting to hurt.

  "Ow!" I yelped. "Let go!"

  "Ohh, don't be such a—"

  Out of nowhere, a fist crashed right into his cheek from the side. Derrith toppled to the ground, releasing my hand as he fell.

  I turned to see who my rescuer was and felt my heart skip a beat when I saw Caelin standing there, fist still clenched.

  "She asked you to let her go," Caelin said, his voice low and edged with anger.

  "Caelin!" I gasped. I don't know what stereotypical impulse hijacked my body, but I rushed over and gave him a hug.

  * Welp. Now I can check 'damsel in distress' off the 'Things to do as a girl' list... *

  Derrith stood back up, rubbing his jaw as his face flushed red. "Not bad, if you were hitting like a girl. Who are you supposed to be?"

  "Caelin," he said heroically. "You looked fragile, so I did hold back a little."

  Derrith let out a forced laugh. "Well, Caelin, we could take this outside, but I'm not interested in you." His eyes slid to me behind Caelin. "Is this your boyfriend? Why don't I be yours instead? I can guarantee my sword's bigger than his."

  He drew his blade from his back, and after muttering a few words, it ignited with flames.

  In a panic, I chose the worst combination of words possible. "Well—we've been traveling together for a while now, and he's really good with his sword. He gave me some lessons on the way here!"

  Caelin turned as red as Derrith's blade. "Just...ahh...walk away," Caelin said. "No need to take things any farther. We still have an exam ahead of us... probably."

  If this was Derrick—reborn, reincarnated, or just cosmically cursed to annoy me—things would only get worse from here. I braced myself.

  Surprisingly Derrith hesitated. His jaw worked like he wanted to spit another insult, but instead, he extinguished his blade with a flick and stowed it.

  "Alright then, Caelin," he smirked dangerously. "Let's make a bet. Whoever makes it to the school first gets Mae all to themselves."

  I didn't like how he phrased that, but before I could protest, Caelin cut in.

  "Fine, you're on! Until then, keep your hands off her."

  A grin crept across Derrith's lips. "Oh, I'll keep my hands off her... who knows about the other stuff, though." He turned and stomped away, pushing the people aside who had started to gather.

  "Are you alright," Caelin asked, looking me over for injuries.

  "I'm fine, thanks to you," I said. My eyes met his gaze, and I felt my heart do that annoying flutter. His bright blue eyes were too much, so I glanced away before he noticed.

  "Of course you're fine," he said, giving a soft laugh. "I came looking for you after some of the examinees started fighting. Apparently someone got robbed. I was worried you'd get dragged into something— knowing your luck."

  "Well, your hunch was spot on," I said with a smile.

  "There you are," Ariel called as she jogged over. "It was impossible to find you guys in this mess." Her eyes flicked in the direction that Derrith had gone. "Cae, you really clocked that guy. Who was he?"

  "His name was Derrith," I said, shivering at the memory. "He was harassing me, so Caelin set him straight."

  Ariel gave me a quick once-over. "I'm glad you're alright. Men can be such animals sometimes."

  "Hey!"

  "Not you, dummy. Father would kill you if you ever acted like that."

  Caelin laughed. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

  "Well I appreciate you, Caelin," I said, twirling a strand of hair.

  At this point, there were maybe seventy people left. It felt six or seven had passed since we first entered the building, and the number was still shrinking. A small group had started sparring at one end of the hall—Derrith among them. The clusters were getting smaller, and as another handful of people left, I saw a familiar head peeking over the top of a book against the wall.

  "Oh, no way!" I said, jogging over to the small person nose deep in a book. Ariel and Caelin followed. "Hi Mallow! I didn't know you were taking the test too!"

  For a moment I thought she ignored me, but after a couple of seconds her round glasses peeked over the cover. "Well yeah," Mallow said, "You never asked."

  "Right..." I said with a little laugh. "I'm surprised to see you here though. That tea was amazing, by the way. Just like you said."

  As Ariel and Caelin approached, Ariel asked, "Mae, who is this?"

  "This," I said, stepping to the side, "is Mallow. I met her in a cafe yesterday."

  "Well, it's nice to meet you," Ariel said, giving a polite bow. "I'm Ariel Serelith."

  "And I'm Caelin Serelith," Caelin said with a bow of his own.

  "I know, I could tell from the crest on your clothes..." Mallow replied, already lowering her face back into the book.

  Caelin leaned over and whispered to me, "Didn't know you made a Mytari friend. She seems like she's quite the bookworm."

  "She is," I whispered back. "What's a Mytari?"

  "It's a subspecies of the Zutari. They're usually really good with earth magic."

  "Oh! Makes sense."

  Ariel kneeled down next to Mallow and took a moment to look at her book. Then she softly said, "I see you're reading The Book of Trials. I read that one yesterday while I was prepping for today."

  Mallow quickly looked up and tilted the book down, "It's pretty fascinating, isn't it? There doesn't seem to be a test quite like this one anywhere in here. I'm very curious to find out what the goal of this trial is, and who the proctors might be." She then rattled off some of the previous exams that she thought were very interesting.

  The entire time Ariel nodded and smiled as Mallow elaborated, even pitching in when she got a chance.

  * I see...so Mallow is short with words unless it's about a book. Ariel figured that out instantly. That reminds me! *

  I reached in my bag and pulled out the codex that I'd nearly forgotten about. The leather cover had patterns of ancient creatures and runic symbols, very similar to my ring. "Mallow, what do you think this book here might be?" I asked, extending it towards her.

  In a flash she dropped the book she was holding and jumped to her feet. She pushed her glasses up as she studied the outside. "Hmm...interesting...it seems to be a codex or a journal based on the outside. I don't think I've seen anything like this in Elemyr's library before, where'd you get this?"

  I handed it over to her and smiled as she eagerly examined it more, flipping through a couple pages.

  "I'm not too sure...I...kinda have amnesia. All I know is that I'm supposed to get to Terra Grix University. Oh, the book came with a ring too," I said, showing her my finger.

  "Fascinating..." she trailed off, lost in thought. "I can't read what the cover says, and I've never seen such an intricate blank book before. If you want, I'd be happy to help you learn about it."

  Her excitement sparkled behind her oversized lenses, and I couldn't help but smiling back. "I'd like that very much," I said.

  We all chit-chatted for another couple hours. Once Mallow warmed up, she was surprisingly easy to talk to. Ariel and I happily swapped stories about things we'd read, while Caelin... well, Caelin tried. He perked up whenever the topic drifted towards fighting or monsters, but otherwise he looked like he was dying inside.

  It felt like it had been nearly twelve hours since we entered the building, and there were maybe fifty or so of us left. It was the middle of the night and I could feel myself getting tired.

  "Well, maybe they actually forgot that there was an exam this year," Caelin finally said, rubbing his eyes. "Maybe we ought to call it. I'm pretty tired now."

  Ariel sighed and nodded. "As much as I hate to admit it, Caelin might be right. It seems so odd that they wouldn't even announce the rules of the trial. Maybe this really was a mistake..."

  I didn't want to admit it either, but I was also getting pretty tired. I looked around again and saw people huddled around having murmured conversations. Some were curled up sleeping, and several solo testers lined the walls like weary statues.

  "I don't know if I'm ready to give up yet," I said with a yawn. "I just feel like we're missing something here."

  Mallow had retreated behind her book again. From behind the cover came a muffled, "It's probably worth it to wait a full day, at the very least."

  We all turned to look at her.

  "If you think about it," she continued, lowing the book just enough for her eyes to show, "it's even stranger that we haven't heard from a single proctor. If there was a mistake, someone would have told us by now." She lowered the tip of her book a little more. "Also, it's strange that the people who said they would come back later, haven't come back."

  Ariel frowned thoughtfully. "You know, you have a point. Some people only left to get food, they would have been back by now."

  I felt the motivation returning a little. "Maybe this is the trial. An endurance trial?"

  "Possibly," Mallow said. "If you'd like to kill more time..." She reached into her little bag and pulled out a pile of books and a handful of small rocks. "I've got just the thing."

  She held her hand over the stones, "SelDarunLunVey {Smooth Earth, Mold and Carve}."

  Before my eyes, the stones smoothed, reshaped, and hollowed into little cups. One formed a spout and a handle— and earthen kettle.

  "There's nothing like books and tea to kill a couple of hours," Mallow said with an eager smile.

  Ariel clapped, while Caelin muttered, "That's a Mytari for you. I can't even do that."

  "That's so cool!" I said. "I don't think I've heard those affixes before. What did that spell mean?"

  "Basically, 'smooth earth, mold and carve'," Mallow said, pulling out a tea bag and adding it to the kettle. "My mom taught me that one."

  Next she pulled out a small stone bowl that looked like a mini firepit and added some wood. With one hand out she simply said, "ThryxSyl {Fire Flash}."

  A small spark flashed near her palm and ignited the wood. Then, she placed the kettle above the flame.

  "There, and now we wait," she said with a satisfied nod.

  "I guess you leave us no choice," Ariel laughed softly. She folded her skirt, and kneeled down as she reached for one of the books Mallow laid out.

  I joined them, setting my bag down and grabbing a random one. The cover said 'Otherworlds, and Beyond'.

  "You might like that one," Mallow said. "It's a collection of short stories about people who travel to other realms. It's one of my favorites."

  "Wow...how interesting," I said, looking to the fourth wall.

  "I think I'll just take a nap," Caelin said. "If we're gonna be here awhile, I'd rather be rested."

  "Suit yourself," Ariel said.

  Caelin quickly dozed off while the three of us sat there, sipping tea and flipping through our books.

  I'll be honest, it was pretty nice.