Jadwia knew her way around the Cerulean Feathers Quarters. She had spent days exploring this section of the Academy. The Quarters were situated in the oldest part of the school, the part that was usually reserved for the classrooms and the Library and the Tutors’ houses. It spoke volumes of the power of the Ring to be able to make several rooms their own. In the hundreds of Rings of the Academy, only a handful could claim the same, such as the Crimson Gold or the White Flowers or the Golden Dew.

On her way, she met many of her fellow Ringmates and paid them deference as they all were her Seniors. From what she had gathered, the Cerulean Feathers, just like the Crimson Gold, were quite selective in their choice of members; the Ringleader preferred quality over quantity. Case in point, Jadwia was the only Pupil of her promotion to be accepted in their midst.

The only one… until Kewin, that is… she thought as she climbed the stairs leading to the assigned hallway.

Banners of blue and silver marked the area as belonging to the Ring. That and their symbol splattered everywhere: two silvery feathers curving almost into a laurel crown on an azury background. Heart beating with anticipation, Jadwia walked past the common room and approached the Ringleader’s office. She announced her name and a voice inside ordered her to enter.

The office was richly decorated, even more than most Tutors’ offices Jadwia had seen. The dark wood of the floor was regularly polished and oiled as to give it a shine. Three large windows along one side of the room allowed for natural light to pour in — the Sun had already dipped behind the horizon, and this plunged the office into a dim atmosphere of late afternoon. There were also bookshelves and couches and low tables, but the piece that attracted the eye was the impressive desk on the opposite side of the entrance door. Behind it hung a 3 meters tall portrait of an Artyst Jadwia didn’t recognize, dressed in an old-fashioned Academy uniform and crowned with a silver laurel crown.

“Oh, Jadwia Lichtfreund! I was expecting you!” said the young man seated behind the desk.

The Pupil had a youthful face, with striking green eyes behind glasses. His long chestnut hair was tied behind him in a ponytail and he had a welcoming smile on his lips. It wasn’t the first time Jadwia met Arron Gwemb, the Ringleader of the Cerulean Feathers, and every time she was reminded of how nice he’d been to her. To her surprise, he wasn’t alone. On a chair that had been dragged to behind the desk was slumped another Pupil. The young man looked familiar though she couldn’t recognize him immediately. He was of strong build, with heavily curly brown hair and a closely shaved beard. He grinned playfully at Jadwia which made her blush. She didn’t fail to notice however the golden bracelet shaped into undulating flames on his right wrist.

The man was part of the Crimson Gold.

This confused her even further and must have shown on her face because Arron pointed at him and spoke.

“This is Izaak Kazkan. He’s part of the Crimson Gold and was just dropping by. Don’t mind him.”

So, he was the older brother of Olav Kazkan she heard about . “The day Graces you, Senior Kazkan,” she said.

The young man waved her greetings away, looking away as if her presence had already bored him.

“Take a seat Jadwia and tell me how you are doing!” Arron asked her. “I heard from Esfir that you had a competition for your Application of the Arts class today. How did it go?”

“It went well, Senior. Thank you for asking! I made it to the finalists.”

“Fantastic! It feels good to see your work paying off, right? I remember seeing you practicing your Balance with Esfir, I hope it was helpful.”

“It was! Without her, I would never have passed! I wish to thank her if I see her tonight.”

“Glad to hear it! Don’t hesitate to ask any of us for help, we’re here to support each other! If you want, I can drop another word for you at the Library if you need to consult a book once again; you don’t need to queue up on the waiting list. No member of the Cerulean Feathers needs to.”

“Thank you, Senior! For now, it’s okay since I finished the paper I had to—”

“Alright, Arron, enough of this!” Izaak suddenly interrupted her. “Let’s cut to the chase and talk about the real reason for this meeting: Isyd Wybrany.”

Jadwia felt her heart fall in her chest. Of course, they had called her to speak of Isyd. Why would the Ringleader care about the stupid competition of a 1 st Year Pupil? For a moment, she had almost forgotten what Klara had told when she’d been accepted into their ranks.

It’s not like Tutor Milwyk came to me personally… I am only here because they think I’m friends with Isyd.

“Don’t be rude, Kazkan!” Arron said.

“I have places to be, Arron! Now, tell us, Junior: what is Isyd Wybrany doing in the Atelier?”

“I… I don’t know, Seniors…” Jadwia said weakly.

“You must have an idea, surely,” Kazkan said. “From what I gathered, he spends there a significant part of his time despite being of the 1 st Opening and having no classes in the Atelier. What is he doing then? What kind of project could he be conducting?”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Jadwia, but he’s still Ringless, isn’t he?” Arron said. “As he joined the Atelier, the Hammer has a strong claim on him and I would not be surprised if they use everything in their power to finally make him join…”

“Isyd… Isyd is still Ringless...”

“Well, we can’t let the Hammer have him!” Kazkan said. “He would be the second one Blessed by the Grace after Tutor Hidrss.”

“Tutor Hidrss is no longer a Pupil,” Arron felt necessary to point out. “He doesn’t count.”

“It doesn’t matter! It would still look bad for the rest of us. Plus, I don’t look forward to facing the Hammer with another Blessed by the Grace in the midst!”

Arron turned to Jadwia. “Do you know anything about Wybrany joining them?”

“I don’t, Seniors.”

She didn’t want to be here anymore. She could feel the weight of their gazes on her, the pressure of their Seniority forcing her to say something. But what could she say? She truly didn’t know anything. And it wasn’t her place to speak of those things, to begin with.

“I…”

Izaak Kazkan narrowed his eyes at her. “I was hoping she would be more forthcoming in her help, Arron. Is that the state of the new members of the Cerulean Feathers…”

“Richly said coming from you, Izaak. Remind me, what was the latest offence your brother committed? We’re still waiting to see what else but his last name he is bringing to your Ring…”

“My brother is spoiled and naïve but at least he’s loyal to our cause. It’s a pity the same can’t be said of your Junior here. Doesn’t she know that the Rings are based on mutual help between their members?”

“I’m sure Jadwia understand that…”Arron said.

“I guess it’s the reason we all have a probation period to join our Rings… God forbid, we recruit someone who takes advantage of their Ring without pulling their own weight…”

A tense silence stretched in the room. The two Seniors seemed to expect Jadwia to say something, but nothing passed her lips. She just sat there, her heart beating fast in her chest and her mind racing to find anything to save her skin.

They were going to kick her out of the Ring… Jadwia would lose her place in the Ring and soon enough in the Academy… She would have to go back home.

“Well, it’s not a big deal—” Arron began.

“It’s the Blysht!” Jadwia blurted out.

The words passed her lips before she could stop them.

“The Blysht …?” Arron turned to Izaak. “What is a Blysht ?”

But the young man didn’t answer him. He had sat up in his chair and was now watching Jadwia intently.

Why the hell did I say that? she cursed herself. She wanted to walk back but it was too late. The two Seniors were expecting her to elaborate.

“I don’t really know what it is… it’s just something Isyd mentioned in passing… Actually, I probably misheard what he said, it was probably nothing…”

“Hold on, perhaps it isn’t entirely wrong,” Arron said. “I haven’t heard of this Blysht before but we know that Wybrany is working with Arcanysta employed by the Atelier. Do you know anything more about that?”

“Arcanysta? Hmm… I… I’m not really sure…”

“Those Arcanysta aren’t from here,” Izaak said. “Do you know where they’re from, Junior? What are the Arcanysta’s names?”

“I-I don’t know their names, Senior…”

Jadwia looked down, unable to hold their gaze anymore. He knows that I am lying. She was certain of it.

When she gathered enough courage to look back up, Izaak Kazkan had a predatory smile on his face. Carnivorous

“I don’t think we’ll learn anything more from your Junior here, Arron,” the young man said. “You can let her go.”

“Already? Are you sure there aren’t more questions you want to ask her? Perhaps she can arrange something with Wybrany…”

“Don’t bother, I suspect Wybrany won’t fall for that. We just need a way to stop the Hammer from recruiting him, right? I have a better… idea of the situation, now. We can focus our attention on the Atelier.”

Arron didn’t look as confident as his colleague. “The Hammer won’t appreciate us overstepping. This may more dangerous, Izaak. And you and I know that Tutor Hidrss is not a man to cross.”

“Yes, but Tutor Hidrss isn’t here now, is he?”

Izaak Kazkan winked knowingly at Jadwia and dismissed her with a wave of his hand. Jadwia’s heart wall filled with guilt as she walked back.