Ice Crown, Kay L. Moody [ap literature book list .txt] 📗

guard’s tunic. The fire was out, and it had only taken the longest three seconds of her life.

Before she could let out a breath of relief, the guard’s mouth dropped. It looked more like surprise than anger this time, but now she was all too aware of just how wet the guard’s clothes were.

The guard worked his jaw up and down as he looked from his shirt to the empty bowl and back to his shirt again. He touched the damp fabric as if daring it to be real.

But it was real. Talise’s stomach sank. She had to do something. “I can fix it,” she said. The words sounded so stupid as soon as they left her mouth. She turned her head to the ground, afraid to make eye contact. “Well, not fix it. At least not the fabric that got burnt. But I can help with the wet clothes at least.”

The guard took a step away from her, his eyes widening every second.

Undeterred, she raised her hands until the palms were an inch over the wet fabric. Then, she shaped as much air as she could to blow against the fabric. If only she were a little better at shaping, she could just shape the water out of his clothes and back into the bowl. Instead, the air shaping would have to do.

The guard took another step back and grabbed both of her wrists. He stared down into her palms with his mouth gaping open. “You … you can shape three elements? How is this possible?”

“Four,” Marmie said. Her breath was weak, but she was still on her feet.

The guard turned to her and shook his head.

Marmie stood a little taller and set her jaw. “Not three, she can shape four. Show them, Talise. Do the snake like you did on the boat.”

Talise was back to pinching the folds of fabric in her dress. The guard was astonished? Not angry? Maybe he was still both, but the astonishment seemed to be winning at the moment. Would shaping something fancy get her into more trouble?

Marmie gave her a gentle nod, and the lines around her eyes softened to the face Talise knew.

With a gulp, Talise moved her hand toward the pile of dirt in the center of the floor. She pulled in her stomach muscles and tried to work past the anxiety threatening to smother her. As the little snake started to take shape, the woman guard took a step forward with eyes full of wonder.

“Of course she will have place at the academy,” the first guard said as he touched the burnt hem of his tunic. “I’ve never seen a child with such advanced shaping.”

The woman guard brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “She shouldn’t train at any of the academies in the Gate. She should go straight to the elite academy in the Crown.”

Marmie gave a smug grin, but Talise’s insides were bubbling over with excitement. “If I train there, will I finish sooner?” she asked.

“No,” the first guard said as he opened his writing pad. “Training always takes ten years, but it will be more advanced at the elite academy. I’ll have to write a special recommendation for you, but you should get in with no problem.”

That wasn’t exactly the news she wanted to hear, but it didn’t take away any of her excitement. She did it. She was going to the academy.

“Say your goodbyes,” the guard said, his eyes still on his writing pad. And with those words, all the excitement was sucked up and out of her body, leaving nothing but a pit in her stomach.

Marmie brushed the hair out of Talise’s face as she set the strap of the tote bag on her shoulder. “Work hard,” Marmie said.

“I’ll write to you.” Talise’s lip quivered. “Every week.”

Marmie brushed her thumb under Talise’s chin, giving her a smile. “And I’ll write to you. Twice a week.”

“What if I forget your face?” Talise bit her bottom lip to keep it from quivering again. She knew she had to go to the academy. She knew she needed it. But why did it have to mean leaving Marmie? Why couldn’t they go together?

“You’ll never forget my face as long as you love me,” Marmie said with a laugh.

“But what if I do?”

Marmie bent down to leave a soft kiss on Talise’s cheek. With her head still bent, she whispered into Talise’s ear. “You must try. You must promise that you’ll do your best to become Master Shaper. You can’t entertain any thoughts of rejoining me in the Storm.”

It pained her more than anything else that day, but Talise knew what she had to say. She put both her hands on Marmie’s cheeks and said, “I will try. In ten years, I’ll be the best shaper Kamdaria has ever known.”

 

FIVE

 

 

 

TEN YEARS LATER

 

 

MRS. DEW ALWAYS POINTED TO THE SLATE board as if it held the key to life’s mysteries. Talise preferred the academy lessons that included actual shaping. Mrs. Dew had taught them nothing but theory for the past month. It didn’t seem very smart when the competition was only a month away, but Mrs. Dew had been the top instructor at the elite academy for twenty-five years. Her methods weren’t up for debate.

Talise sighed and started shaping little bursts of air from her palm. The bursts reached just high enough to tickle her hair before they would fizzle out.

Mrs. Dew slapped her palm against the slate. “That is why you must never attempt to freeze water while you’re shaping it. You’ll give yourself hypothermia and your fingers could break clean off.”

She emphasized the point by making some gesture with her hands. She was probably miming her fingers falling off, but since Talise sat in the back of the classroom, she couldn’t tell for sure.

Talise pulled a letter from the front pocket of her school uniform. Her latest letter from Marmie. She traced a finger over her favorite paragraph, trying to carve the words into her mind so she’d never forget them.

Anyway, I’m sure you don’t care about all that, but the point is it worked! I finally grew a flower in the Storm. I’ve learned a lot from living here, and the most interesting thing is this: without hope, people have nothing. They aren’t happy; they don’t live. But the smallest things can change that. You should see what this little flower has done to the neighborhood. It’s like there’s magic all around us now.

Magic. Talise loved that part. Marmie had never sent such a happy letter in the ten years since Talise had gone to the academy. Maybe it was just because the competition was so close. Talise knew Marmie never expected to live long enough to see Talise compete. But she had. Just like magic.

Talise had saved just enough money for a riverboat ride from the Storm to the Crown. Soon, Marmie would use it to travel to Ridgerock Palace for a temporary visit. Long enough to see Talise in the competition.

After several more slaps to the slate board, Mrs. Dew released them for lunch. Talise bowed to the portrait of Emperor Flarius as she left the room. His golden crown never seemed oppressive to her, but every so often, his eyes did.

Shrugging away the feeling, Talise went through the doorway to find Wendy.

Just outside the classroom, Talise bumped into a student whose eyes were on the ground. He had light brown skin and a thin mustache and goatee. He held his shoulders back with an easy confidence that usually came from those born in the Crown. Aaden. At least she thought his name was Aaden.

Earlier that week, all the top students in the final year of the third stage were combined into one class. Students from academies all over Kamdaria were now in one class at the elite academy, and Talise only knew a handful of them. Based on his demeanor, she guessed he came from another academy in the Crown.

“Sorry about that,” Talise said as she passed him.

Aaden scowled as he trudged past her.

Rude.

Marmie would have scolded her for making such a harsh judgment. As Talise wandered down the hallway, she opened her mind to other possibilities. Maybe he was nervous about being at a new academy. Maybe he just needed a friend.

Talise finally found Wendy at the end of the hall. She was checking on a pastry in her school bag. “Just a little something to add to my lunch,” Wendy said as she looked away with a smile. They walked side by side as they headed for the dining courtyard.

Luckily, the academy paid for their lunches or Talise might never have eaten. Marmie sent her money as often as she could. And Talise always sent it back, except when she was desperate. The academy also paid for her school uniforms. They spent so much time in training, no one ever realized Talise only had two dresses apart from her school clothes. Her other possessions were fewer than the fingers on her hands.

“Fish again?” Talise asked as she wrinkled her nose. Fish always reminded her of the Storm.

Wendy giggled and tugged her through the gate. “What do you expect when we live so close to the palace? Ridgerock Lake is full of fish.”

Talise scowled, not caring if Wendy noticed how her feet were dragging.

Wendy did notice. She shot Talise a disapproving look before erasing it with a smile. “At least there’s noodle soup to go along with it. You love the noodle soup.” Her eyebrows teetered upward, begging Talise to agree.

Unable to stop herself, Talise let out a chuckle. “Yes, I do like the noodle soup.”

Wendy always had a way of scolding without making it feel like a drudgery. Just like Marmie. Talise had been drawn to Wendy for that exact reason. Wendy was sweet and gentle like Marmie.

“And look,” Wendy said, bouncing on her heels. “They’re even serving the soup in the round bowls instead of the square. You love the round bowls.”

Talise shook her head but let out another chuckle. “I don’t love them. I just think they’re easier to hold. And I only said that one time.”

After receiving their food, Talise quickly scanned the courtyard for a place to eat. One end of the courtyard looked empty except for a single person. Aaden. Maybe she had been right about him needing a friend.

“Do you know him?” Talise asked, pointing to the lonely young man.

Wendy nodded. Of course she did. Wendy knew everyone. It was part of her charm.

“Aaden,” Wendy said. “He’s from the other academy in the Crown.”

“Let’s go sit with him.”

Wendy’s eyes widened, but she tried to smile the expression away. “I don’t know him that well.”

Talise started walking toward him. “Maybe he doesn’t know anyone in the new class. We should be friends with him.”

Wendy blinked and glanced around the courtyard. “Maybe he wants to be alone.”

Talise gave her friend a sideways glance. Usually Wendy was the one who wanted to make new friends.

“Look, there’s Claye over there. Let’s go sit with him.” Even with her hands full of dishes, Wendy managed to nudge Talise away from that part of the courtyard.

“What are you grinning about?” Wendy asked as she settled into the seat next to Claye.

His brown eyes looked bright with a joke that would probably befit a ten-year-old boy. “I just slurped my noodle the wrong way and it came out my nose.”

“That’s disgusting.” Talise tried not to think about it too much or she wouldn’t be able to eat anything at this meal.

Claye snickered, seeming to care even