The Realm Protectors - Chapter 31: Chapter 31

Despite the fact that we had to spend three torturous hours in the Steinslott with Senator Darcio, the day ends magnificently. By the time we finally emerged from his nightmarish manor, the sun was setting and the city was diving headfirst into the Vakker Kveld celebrations.
"What's going on again?" Enya asks me on our way back down the winding steps to the city.
"Tonight marks the start of Vakker Kveld, the week of the new moon." I do my best to explain while making sure I don't trip on the steep stairs. "People stay up 'til dawn dancing and feasting all week."
The sky continues to darken as we descend to Den Svarte Byen and the Torget. A masterpiece of plum purples and fire oranges streaks across the sky above the ring of mountains. Pinpricks of light begin to appear as the moon rises to it's height – a mere sliver of light above our heads.
Strings of miniature bluelights have been strung across the Torget, weaving between stalls covered in assortments of food and draped in black material. A small platform has been set in the middle of the square, where musicians in black robes play various instruments. Upbeat music with a surprisingly melancholy melody can be heard as we make our way into the Torget.
"Wow," My friends breathe in admiration.
"Welcome to Vakker Kveld." I smirk.
I show them all around the stands, which ones have the desserts, the sweet fruits, the spiced meats, and most importantly – the drinks. The musicians play all night, as more and more stars appear above our heads, and the moon makes its crescent journey over our heads. Tucker disappears at some point, running off to find drinks or old friends or something of the sort.
We spin around the Torget all night, dancing with each other, alone, and with the people of my home. I laugh, never feeling such a high in my life. No Vakker Kveld has felt quite as special as this one. Spinning here with Avani and Ciana and Faris and Carter and Lyra... I've never felt so free.
Not even my mother's glaring stare can pierce this elation, and when I finally collapse in my bed back in the hotel, I sleep more peacefully than I have in weeks.
I blink awake and stretch, my hands brushing the headboard behind me. The sun barely peeks through the curtained windows.
"Just how I like it," I smile to myself with a sigh.
A knock at my door makes me jump and pull the covers higher. Ciana pokes her head in with a tired smile.
"Breakfast is ready," She says. "Tucker made cinnamon rolls."
"With frosting!' Avani whoops from the hallway. Ciana laughs and shakes her head.
"I'll be there in a minute." I reply. She shuts the door and I throw back the covers, stumbling over to my closet. I throw on a pair of black jeans and a comfy sweater before running my fingers through my hair. My door swings open and I jump, some kind of pitiful squeak coming out in the process. Avani stands in the open doorway, a cinnamon roll in her hand and frosting sticking to her lips. My stomach rumbles at the sudden waft of sweet, sugary smell.
"You better run if you want one." Avani says around the cinnamon roll in her mouth. "Nile and Faris are fighting for the last one."
I snort. "Alright alright, I'm coming." I follow her back down the hallway to see Nile pinning Faris to the kitchenette cabinets while his arm stretches for the last cinnamon roll on the stove. I snap my fingers, my ability rushing through my body. The lights go out and the boys cry out. I scurry over to the stove and grab my breakfast before snapping again as I settle onto the couch.
"Hey!" Nile and Faris bark at the same time. I shrug.
"Mine." I reply. Carter snorts from his spot in the corner, wiping his finger off on a napkin.
"You guys can wrestle for food later. Right now we need to go the school." He says.
I stiffen at the mention of the Skole. "Now?"
Carter nods.
My stomach knots and I swallow the urge to throw up my breakfast. We all make our way to the elevator and back outside into the Torget. A carriage and two midnight-black horses wait for us outside, drawing the attention of multiple people across the Torget.
"Oh for the love of Ever," I groan.
"School Master Dankworth sure knows how to draw attention." Enya says with a wary smirk.
"That's not always a good quality." I reply.
We all climb into the surprisingly large carriage. When the door is shut, the coachmen snaps the reins. The horses whinny before starting forward, pulling the carriage out of the Torget and towards the Skole for de Sretk. Dark palace walls appear in view of the window as we near the Skole, and I do my best to look anywhere but it. Tucker notices and gives me a sad look.
Dankworth is waiting on the polished front steps as our carriage pulls up. Not a hair is out of place, even as the wind whips around us as we step down from the carriage. Enya and Carter step towards her as the carriage rolls away with a snap of the reins.
"School Master Dankworth, what a lovely school." Enya begins.
Dankworth's eyes snap to mine. They glance up and down as if assessing me.
"Clearly not lovely enough for some." She says sharply before turning on her heel. Carter scurries to follow behind her. I sigh, ignoring the confused glances from some of my friends.
Dankworth's heels click against the stone floors as we move deeper into the Skole. Carved into the mountain directly opposite Senator Darcio's manor, everything is made of dark mountain stone. The air is slightly chilled and smells of damp, despite the lack of any standing water. Bluelight torches line the walls every few yards, casting long black shadows that many students walk in and out of. Tucker branches off to check the other rooms and make sure that nothing out of sorts is going on.
"We encourage our students to grow their abilities to their fullest potential." Dankworth explains plainly. "We use no doors here. All students walk through the walls via their shadow bending abilities." She turns to look at us as she stops at a deep black shadow on the wall. "Hopefully the Little Voronkova has mastered that at least."
I cringe as she steps through the shadow and disappears.
"How do we get through?" Ciana asks.
"I have to pull you through with me." I reply. "Though she could've deigned to help."
I reach into the shadow on the wall, taking a deep breath. My hand and arm begins to turn translucent as I reach behind me for my friends.
"Form a line and hold on to me." I say quickly. Ciana obeys, grabbing my hand.
"Ready," Enya nods.
I step into the shadow, feeling my arms and legs tingle with numbness as I go completely translucent. I pull my friends through the shadowy between and into the hallway on the other side of the wall.
"Took you long enough," Dankworth snorts quietly. I scowl and finish pulling my friends through the shadow. Ciana shivers and looks around at the new room we've entered.
"The Hall of Fame," I breathe.
Dankworth nods and begins to slowly walk down the long hallway. Framed portraits cover the entirety of the walls, leaving almost none of the mountain stone peeking through.
"This is the Hall of our most esteemed students, going back all the way to the Skole's first years. Each student here earned the right to be framed and hung for the world to see and admire. Many of our students dream of being up here. Most of these members are legacies." Dankworth shoots a pointed glance at me. "Legacies are hard to come by in Mork. They're usually considered sacred, and last for years. Some families even disown their children if they don't make it up on the wall – or worse, don't go to the Skole."
Dankworth charges ahead, Carter following closely behind. I hang back, and look more closely at the pictures on the walls. I stop at one and my breath catches. Avani notices and stops.
"What's wrong?" She asks me.
I point at the picture in the frame: a young woman no older than Enya, with straight black hair and pearly white skin. Her lips are pressed together in a tight line, and her eyes are somehow even less warm. This is a woman of stone and darkness.
"It's my mother." I tell Avani. Her eyes widen with recognition.
"You're a legacy." She murmurs. I nod.
"My ancestor was one of the first students at the Skole for de Sretk. His picture was one of the ones right next to the door." I explain. "After him, every person in my family is up on this wall. Every child, grandchild, great-grandchild, all the way to my mother." I turn and look down the hallway, towards our friends. "My older siblings are farther down that way. I'm the first Voronkov to not be on this wall in generations."
Avani seems to take in this fact. "Why aren't you going here?"
I turn back towards the picture of my mother. "That's the question everyone seems to be asking, isn't it?" I huff a quiet laugh. "I'm not entirely sure. When Grantwood met with my parents and I about it a few months ago, I rejected her offer. My parents were almost proud. But then a few weeks later, something just... clicked. I realized that I hated it here. I hated the restaurant, the Skole, this whole mountain city."
"You wanted to get away," Avani breathes.
"I wanted to be more than just a Voronkov. More than just a..." I pause. "...a shadow."
We start walking towards our friends again, leaving the picture of my mother behind.
"What did your parents say?" Avani asks quietly.
"They were furious. Mother, mostly. She said I was ruining our legacy. I was a problem, a mistake. I never should've been born, she said." My eyes begin to burn. "She told me to run away if I wanted. But that if I ever came back, I wouldn't be a Voronkov anymore. I'd be inëgn. A nobody."
I look up at Avani. "The only reason my mother actually spoke to me yesterday was because of this." I point to my crownband. "Otherwise, I'd be ignored. Instead, I was told the next time I come back here, I'll be in a Voronkov's waitress uniform."
Avani snorts. "I'm surprised none of your other siblings have left if she acts like that."
"My siblings agree with her." I whisper. She looks at me incredulously. "We were raised to carry on the legacy. To them, I'm a mistake. I've always been told I should be more like Senka. 'Senka gets high honors,' 'Senka does as he's told.' To everyone in Den Svarte Byen, I'm a misprint. A mistake."
"You're not a mistake." Avani stops me. Our friends wait up ahead with Dankworth, but we pause around the corner. "You are the High Arch of Protection. You are the most powerful darkness elemental of our generation. You are power, Nikolina. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise again. Or else," Avani huffs, and the mountain quakes. "Or else I'm going to have some words with them."
"Little Voronkova, must we wait for you all day?" Dankworth calls down the hallway. Avani stares at me until I stand up straight. I turn the corner and march down the hallway and stick my hand through the shadows, reaching for my friends.
"It's High Arch Voronkova to you." I snap at Dankworth. Her face recoiling in shock as Avani beams is my last vision before stepping through the shadows.
Vendors and customers yell in tandem as the music soars over the crowd. It's finally Wednesday – the peak of Vakker Kveld – and festivities are more crowded than ever.
The sky above is completely dark save for the few stars that pinprick the empty black. The only light comes from the dimmed bluelight lanterns and fairy lights strung across the Torget.
The eight of us spin and dance with the rest of the crowd as the musicians in the center of the square play with energy of pure joy. Laughter and shouts of excitement ring out around us. Tucker spends most of his evening by the drink table, doing his best to keep Nile and Enya from anything to spiked. Ciana finally seems to be having fun, little balls of light hovering around her to help her see. Spiced shadowberry juice is passed around in little cups, leaving your tongue feeling tingly and your vision more clear.
Avani jumps back into the dance, another leg of some roasted meat in her hand. It smells incredible.
"I can't get enough of this stuff," She laughs. "Do you think we could get it catered to the Arch Residence?"
Ciana laughs beside her. "I doubt that we can have food tunneled over from Mork for you every day, Avani."
"Why not?" Avani laughs. "It just takes one space elemental and one step for it–"
Her sentence is interrupted by blue, purple, and pink light and a loud boom, and my stomach drops.
"No," I breathe. Ciana pales.
"I'll find Enya!" She shouts, running off. People begins screaming and running, turning the Torget into one large throng of terrified people. Sparkling black dust blows in from the direction of the gateway, covering the food, people, and instruments in a thick layer.
"Lookout!"
"The Steinslott!" People shout.
I spin to the north and watch in horror as the very mountain itself is cleaved apart, tearing the Steinslott into pieces. The screaming crescendos as chunks of mountain stone begin to tumble down the mountain.
Sirens start wailing as people begin running anew, toppling over tables and vendor stands like they're children's toys. I spin around and finds the terrified face of my brother crouched behind the Voronkov stall.
"Do something!" He shouts. Something inside me clicks and I scramble up onto the musicians' podium. Ciana is a few feet below me.
"Get their attention!" I shout at her. She hears me and shoots her hands out, streams of bright light spinning out and around the crowd. The screaming subsides while people follow the light back to the podium, turning attention to me.
"Listen up!" I shout louder than I ever have before. "Everyone go back to your homes in an orderly fashion! The High Arches will take care of this!"
People begin to move again, slower than before but with some pushing and shoving. I see Lyra in the crowd, opening a tunnel for Faris to jump through. Enya and Nile motion for me to follow. Ciana and I rush over to the emergency services building.
"Nikolina, get everyone in order and meet us at the gateway." Enya says, the flame tattoos highlighting her face becoming more visible. "Ciana, find Carter and help get everyone inside. Coordinate with the police. Tucker, come with us."
Ciana nods and runs off to find Carter. Enya, Nile, and Tucker begin rushing across the Steinslott where Lyra is waiting with a tunnel to the gateway. I step into the emergency services building and order the EMTs and firefighters to follow.
I stare at my home city, watching as one of the most joyous nights of the year turns into the most horrifying.