I reach across the table and scoop up the coins. “Thank you, Old Man! I will see if Kat is free for lunch, and I’ll sketch in the court gardens. Is there anything you want me to pick up while I am out?”

  “Cam, the day is all yours. No errands to run for me here. With tomorrow being Sowing Day, I imagine it will be quite slow in the shop.”

  I finish my cup of tea in one last swig. “Wait – I forgot to ask. What kind of tea is this?”

  “It’s a specially processed oolong tea. During oxidation, the leaves are flooded with a special gas, giving them a rich, caramel coloring and prominent pumpkin or honey notes. I like to think it’s very poetic that the world can make something so special without portals and mana.”

  “That reminds me. Yesterday, when the mana from the teas wore off, I felt changes to my body. I was more energized – and lighter than before. Is that the mana from the tea?”

  He grins, “I was wondering if you’d notice. In a way, yes. It’s the mana in the tea responding strongly to my Tea Service skill. I mentioned briefly before that serving tea with the Tea Sage class can provide long-term buffs to yourself and allies. Those buffs depend on the tea being served. The Assam boosted your constitution, and the Peony White made you lighter and more dexterous.”

  I thank him for the explanation and plan on reflecting on what that could mean for my class. I run down the hall to grab my messaging crystal and sketchbook from the room. Stepping out of the shop, I send a message to my best friend, Katrina.

  She responds quickly, saying she’s busy this morning, can meet at the court garden in a few hours, and then walk over to our usual lunch spot. I decide to head over to the garden now anyway and get a few sketches in before she shows up. One of the court ponds features matching willows and lotuses – just like in my visions – and I want to explore whether it evokes any feelings outside of meditation.

  A short walk later, I find myself at the grand arches leading into the interior court. One of the guards waves me through after a quick check of my status card. Five minutes later, my shoes leave soft indents in the wet dirt as I approach the garden pond. The smell of last night’s rain sits heavy over the water. The soft quacking of ducks swimming across the pond greets me as I notice a few broken willow branches floating. I stare at the water’s surface for a few minutes, trying to find inspiration for one of my sketches, but with tomorrow weighing heavily on my mind, I can’t seem to connect to the scenery.

  After half an hour, I bring out my sketchbook and decide to start drawing anyway. The cool paper and gritty charcoal pull me into my task. I outline the pond and frame of the largest willow – which hangs far over the water. Soon, I am lost in the sketch – capturing the lotuses floating across the surface and the groups of ducks skimming for their next meal. The small lanterns hanging around the pond cast their fiery reflections that ripple and break against the drifting branches.

  Unaware of my surroundings or how much time has passed, I drop my sketchbook and charcoal, startled as someone taps me sharply on the shoulder. I turn quickly to find Katrina’s yellow, burning eyes inches from mine as she leans over my shoulder.

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  She hops back, laughing loudly. Her curly fire-red hair bounces. Her Phoenix Sparrow, Ash, flickers with warm light against Kat’s tan cheek, chirping as if mocking me.

  Wiping tears from her eyes, Katrina finally catches her breath. “Sorry – that was just too funny. Ash and I sat here for like fifteen minutes waiting for you to notice us, but eventually I gave up and decided it would be funnier to scare the crap out of you.” Ash chirps on her shoulder cheerfully, adding insult to injury.

  I shake my head in mock disapproval. This is how it has always been with Katrina, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

  “Well, now that my sketch has been ruined,” I tease, picking up my sketchbook and pretending to dust off imaginary dirt, “did you want to grab lunch? Old Man’s treat.” I shake the coins he gave me earlier.

  She loops her arm through mine as we head toward the garden’s noodle restaurant. “How are you feeling, Cam?”

  Her Sowing Day was a few months ago, and she received the Phoenix Sparrow Tamer class. Since then, we haven’t had much time to hang out – she’s been busy learning to manage her mana and tame Ash.

  “You know, Kat, I’m nervous. I have a plan to get an adventure-worthy class, but I’m not completely sure I’ll succeed. We always dreamed of exploring portals together, going on grand adventures. I just… don’t want to let us down if I fail.”

  She suddenly stops walking, unlooping our arms. “Camden, you better not be thinking of joining the army. Those combat classes aren’t strong enough to make the risk worth it!”

  I shake my head. “I already told you I’m not joining the army. Don’t worry. The Old Man told me not to say anything, but he’s been training me. It might open the door to a class I could actually use for adventuring.”

  Kat grabs my arm, eyes wide with excitement. “You really mean it? That’s amazing! I’ve been trying to convince my parents for years to train you, but it breaks clan rules, so they refused. But now we’ll be able to explore portals together anyway!”

  Katrina is the youngest daughter of a powerful, inner court family, the Burns. They specialize in fire classes and lead one of the strongest portal clans, Phoenix Fire, in the City of Verdance. A warm tug tightens in my chest – mixed with a little guilt. I knew she’d been fighting with her parents recently, but I didn’t know that she’d been pushing them for me. I squeeze her arm gently and let myself look forward to the adventures ahead.

  “Cam, I forgot to mention – I invited my boyfriend, Franky, to lunch. We’ve been dating for a few months. It’s about time that you two met.”

  I smile widely. Katrina has been talking about this Franklin for months, and I’ve been wanting to meet him. Unfortunately, every time I am free, he’s had work.

  “Great, Kat. I’ve been wanting to meet him for a while now.” I try to remember what he does for work that would give him Thursday off, but the thought just slips away.

  “I know! He’s been so busy in the court that he’s had a hard time even hanging out with me.”

  As we walk into the noodle shop, she separates from my side and runs ahead to hug a man sitting with his back to the door. As Kat barrels into him, the man turns slightly, and for the briefest moment, the lantern light skates across his eyes, revealing that same black-sheen I’d only ever seen once before. A strange ripple of recognition flickers through me.