Page 13 of The Fifth Heir

Directly toward me.

I tried to move.

The two senior assistants beside me retreated, but my legs would not obey. The light struck my chest with enough force to knock the air from my lungs.

The Hall disappeared.

Color exploded across my vision—red heat, violet darkness, silver lightning, blue-white cold, and something clear that split them all apart before drawing them together again.

For one impossible heartbeat, something vast opened its eyes beneath my skin.

Someone called my name.

I could not tell whether it was Camilla, Master Orin, or my mother.

The last thing I saw clearly was the Prism blazing in the center of the Hall—and four chosen heirs turning to stare at me.

Chapter 3

Talia

The beam held me against the wall.

Light covered my hands, my robe, and the floor beneath my shoes, but I felt no heat. The force was physical, a steady pressure across my chest that made it difficult to draw a full breath. When I lifted one hand, color moved beneath my skin in narrow bands before disappearing beyond my wrist.

Something moved deeper.

Not a shape. Not yet. Only a vast pressure stretching beneath my ribs, as if my body contained a space I had never known was there.

No one spoke.

Hundreds of candidates filled the Hall. Every gallery seat was occupied. Only moments earlier, the applause for the fourth heir had been loud enough to shake dust from the upper carvings.

Now I could hear my own uneven breathing.

Keeper Malcolm recovered first.

“Do not move,” he ordered.

I would have laughed if I’d had enough air. My shoulders were pinned to the stone, and my knees were close to giving way.

Malcolm approached the Prism with his staff raised. The crystal continued pouring light across the chamber. Unlike the four elemental beams, this one did not create a clean circle around its chosen heir. Its edges changed whenever I looked directly at them, separating into colors before becoming clear again.

“What happened?” someone called from the gallery.

“The Choosing is complete,” another voice answered.

“That is a fifth beam.”

“Who did it select?”

The questions multiplied, too many to distinguish. Candidates broke formation as they turned toward the eastern wall. Several academy attendants moved between the rows, ordering them to remain in place.

The headmaster did not repeat the command.

He stood beside the Prism with his attention fixed on me. Shock had widened his eyes, but he appeared more interested than afraid.

Malcolm struck the metal base of his staff against the floor.