Kael's mother was on her knees when the man struck her.The wooden bowl slipped from her hands, scattering the last of their grain across the muddy floor. She reached for it instinctively, but the man planted his boot on her wrist before she could gather a single handful."Did I ask you to stop working?""No, sir." Her voice trembled. "Please, I only wanted to collect the grain. We have not eaten since yesterday.""And whose fault is that?"Kael stood frozen in the doorway.His mother's face was pale, her lips pressed together to keep her from crying. Beside her lay the unfinished stack of ironwood logs she had been ordered to carry to the western district before sunrise. Her fingers were swollen, and blood had seeped through the cloth wrapped around one palm.The man looked at the logs, then back at her."You were given until dawn. The sun is already rising, and you have completed barely half the assignment. Do you think the Veylcrest authorities distribute food to people who cannot

The eastern archive was closed by the time Kael reached it.A chain of enchanted iron crossed the entrance, and a red seal glowed above the lock. Beyond the doors, rows of ancient books stretched into darkness.Kael pressed his palm against the wood.Nothing happened.He tried the handle.Locked.“Looking for something?”Kael spun around.A woman in a dark instructor's uniform stood at the end of the corridor. A narrow silver badge rested against her collar, and a crystal pendant glimmered at her throat.He recognized her from the morning's assessment.“I wanted to read about talent awakenings,” he said.“Then you should have visited the public library.”“I already did.”“And?”“Everything available to unclassified students explains how talents are measured. Nothing explains why some people fail to awaken one.”The woman's expression changed slightly.“Why do you need to know?”“Because I'm tired of being told to accept something nobody has bothered to explain.”For several seconds, s

For one impossible instant, Kael knew what the creature would do before it moved.It felt like he could read its mind. He simply followed his intuition and threw himself sideways.The Frostfang's claws tore through the air where he had been standing. Its shoulder struck a crate, splintering the wood and sending metal equipment flying across the ground.Kael hit the dirt and rolled.Pain shot through his arm, but he wasn't going to back off.The creature turned towards him again.This time, Kael saw recognition in its eyes.The sensation vanished almost immediately, leaving him gasping on the ground.“Restrain it!”Three instructors attacked at once. Runes ignited beneath their feet, and chains of golden light erupted from the earth, wrapping around the Frostfang's limbs.The creature roared and fought against the restraints.A final burst of magic forced it to its knees.And silence descended over the training grounds.Kael remained where he was, staring at the creature.His hands we

Across the training grounds, a barrier surrounding one of the larger enclosures flickered violently.And blue runes flashed along the stone pillars before several went dark at once.A deep roar shook the trees.The enormous creature Kael had heard earlier slammed its body against the enclosure.And that particular barrier fractured."Everyone back!" an instructor shouted.A second impact sent magical energy rippling across the ground. Students struggled to stand, but they kept stumbling as the protective field buckled, and a violent surge of power burst from the damaged pillars.Then the barrier collapsed.And immediately, the creature surged through the opening.It was a Frostfang just like the other time, a beast with the body of an enormous wolf, scaled shoulders, pale blue markings along its flanks, and two curved horns that swept backward from its skull. It stood nearly as tall as a horse, and its claws tore deep furrows into the earth as it charged.The nearest instructors rea

Kael had learned three things since arriving at Veylcrest Academy.The first was that talent determined a student's worth.The second was that wealth could turn even the cruelest behavior into an acceptable offense.The third was that nobody cared when the weak were mistreated, provided the person mistreating them was strong enough.He discovered the third lesson that morning in the western training courtyard.Yesterday's examination had ended like all the others. No awakened talent. No explanation for his strange reactions. Nothing to prove he was anything more than a talentless student who had somehow earned a place at Veylcrest.The memory followed him through his morning duties, souring his mood with every passing minute. He carried practice weapons toward the equipment hall, gripping them so tightly that the wooden handles pressed into his palms.A sharp crash interrupted his thoughts.A broken training sword lay scattered across the stone path. Beside it, a first-year student h