Umbra walked with the man heading towards the fortress. She noticed he hadn’t given her his name, but she really didn’t want to disturb the silence that sat so comfortably between them. They continued heading towards the fortress through the alleys which didn’t seem half as scary as they used to be. Probably had something to do with the man she thought. He was far too important to be escorting her like some princess through the streets. Not that she didn’t appreciate it, his presence felt like the Duke’s, a heavy blanket in the winter.

The main street was busy, unlike the empty alleys they had been making their way through. It was odd to walk through the gates with a Favoured, people stopped to look at him and then to her. Probably wondering what that ordinary looking girl was doing by a Favoured’s side. Umbra hated the attention, the eyes trying to strip her of anonymity. She stepped back falling into the tall man’s shadow an action that didn’t go unnoticed by him. He continued walking but turned his head to give her a reassuring smile. Maybe Umbra hadn’t thought this through, obviously walking through the fortress with a favoured was a bad idea there was no way people would stop talking about this, they probably thought she was in some serious trouble.

Never in Umbra’s life had the yard between the fortress inner and the walls seemed to take as long to traverse. Walking into the colossal doors of the fortress inner was a relief the cool shadows masking her from the eyes of the people in the courtyard. Unfortunately, the inside wasn’t the reprieve she thought it would be, it was packed. Umbra groaned inwardly Ugh, of course, it was full the Duchess held court at the end of the season's celebrations.

“Hey… can I go,” Umbra said quite meekly to her own displeasure hoping to distance herself from the favoured that was drawing attention to her.

“We are both heading to the courtyard and I have something to offer you, a reward of sorts.” He said his voice neutral and his face a mask.

“So that’s a no,” grumbled Umbra from in his shadow.

“Seems so.” He smiled. His fluctuating emotions were making Umbra uncomfortable, and the people still watching her curiously didn’t help. She just wanted to slip away to bed.

As they walked through the halls Umbra couldn’t help but notice the countless number of supplicants lining the walls. The Favoured saw Umbra looking “The Duchess and Duke don’t usually get to see many supplicants. Unfortunately, those that are not seen will have to wait for next season.” He said in an instructive tone.

Umbra couldn’t help herself she knew she shouldn’t be prying into the affairs of a Favoured but she asked anyway. “Why are you here,”

“I am a Master,” The man said simply.

“What!?” Umbra spluttered “Why didn’t you tell me; I’m supposed to be impressing the Masters not getting myself rescued by them.”

“It did not seem that important”

“What are you the Master of anyway?” Umbra asked her brows furrowing as she avoided the eyes of the people along the walls.

“Magic of course,” and he laughed, “I thought that would be obvious, I am a Favoured after all.” Umbra grinned sheepishly, how had she not made that connection.

Right before the entrance to the courtyard, the Favoured pulled Umbra aside, “remember when I said I had an offer for you?” Umbra nodded, “it comes with a few conditions. You are going to have to complete some tasks to prove your worth.”

“What reward, and what tasks,” asked Umbra.

“The reward is my tutelage; you have the aptitude to become a powerful mage, maybe even Favoured.” His voice was serious, but Umbra couldn’t help but let slip a giggle.

“Favoured, you are joking.”

“You, think I lie, girl,” He said face twisting and voice full of cold menace, and Umbra was suddenly painfully aware of his overwhelming presence pressing down on her making her breaths shallow gasps.

“No, no it is just hard to believe,” she said through gasps and the presence became restrained as it was before, leaving her able to breathe once again.

“If you wish to be trained as a mage you will find somewhere high and watch the sky as the sun sets and continue watching until it rises again in the morning, this is your first task. You can find me at the tallest tower once you are done.” He said his voice warm and kind again. Umbra didn’t know what to think he was terrifying one second and comfortable and kind the next. “Now we must be going, you have yet to meet the other Masters and the initial ceremony will be commencing.”

They walked into the courtyard Umbra hung back not wanting to be seen with one of the Masters before they were even supposed to be introduced. She quickly looked for V in the crowd of kids gathered in the courtyard. Umbra noticed that there were more kids than just the orphans, they were most likely noble kids of the fortress. V was hard to miss she was standing on the side of the crowd hopping from foot to foot her insect-like wings fluttering as they did when she was worried or nervous. Umbra hurried over to her. Drawing little attention except from a boy who looked at her burnt dress then turned away dismissively.

“Umbra” V called her relieved face a beacon of normalcy from Umbra’s weird morning. “Did you just arrive with a Favoured. What happened to you I went looking. When I couldn’t find you I went back to the fortress and you still weren’t there. Oh, Mrs K is furious she has a belt. Look at her over there” V said in a quiet rush then pointed at Mrs K who had noticed Umbra’s arrival and was staring daggers at her. “I said you had gone for an early morning walk around the grounds. I don’t think she bought it though”

“It doesn’t seem like it,” Umbra said

“So a young lady like yourself escapes from her escort and returns hours later in the morning escorted by a man, one can only wonder what you two were up to” Umbra’s cheeks coloured and she responded defensively

“It wasn’t like that, he just helped me out a bit.” V waggled her pale red eyebrows suggestively, and Umbra couldn’t help but grin as she shoved V fondly. V may be an annoyance but she was just what Umbra needed.

The Duchess’ steward stepped forward on the large wooden stage where the Masters sat at the opposite end of the courtyard. “Apologies for the wait children our last Master has finally arrived,” he said glancing at the Master of magic disapprovingly, “we may now start.”

The ceremony was mostly a bore followed by some fanfare and a quick explanation of what would change for this month, instead of lessons the children will be showcasing their various skills in hopes of being selected. The steward also included a very polite explanation of what would happen to the orphans if they failed to be picked, pretty much boiled down to, they would be fending for themselves on the street. The Favoured Master watched her the entire time. V, of course, picked up “the Master you arrived with is still watching you” she giggled.

The end of the ceremony was the only part that Umbra actually paid attention to. The steward called up the Masters and introduced them. There were all kinds of Masters, Masters of weaving, of fishing, of war, of forging, of dancing, even a Master of exploration. The ones that most interested Umbra were the last two.

The first of the two introduced was to Umbra’s shock the dovian she had met during the festival his fiery eyes almost instantly finding hers, Umbra could make out a lazy smile even from the back of the crowd. “A dovian is a Master. How” she said in a low voice, more to herself than anyone else. V heard though and said in a surprised and unfortunately loud voice

“He is a dovian?!” Which sent surprised ripples through the crowd as it was repeated again and again. The steward raised his voice over the murmur of the crowd and said.

“As some may know Master Sigmur is a dovian, I would like to assure everyone that he is perfectly civilised otherwise he would not be here. He is a Master of transformation and you will give him the respect he deserves, there are only 5 transformation Masters in the fabric, you should be honoured that he is here for your choosing.” The dovian made Umbra feel uncomfortable and she swore to herself that she would keep her distance no matter how ‘civilised’ he might be.

The last Master introduced was the Favoured man who had rescued her from that bird woman. Umbra had been waiting for his introduction for the entire ceremony, she still didn’t know his name. “This is Master Otaro.” The steward proclaimed. “He is a Master of magic, and as I’m sure you can tell a Favoured. Master Otaro has only taken one pupil from this Territory in the 30 years I have been hosting the choosing ceremony so do not expect to be chosen by him.” And with the last introduction complete the Masters rose and left.

Umbra breathed a sigh of relief, she had been falling asleep on her feet. She started the weary trek back to the orphan’s ward, she just wanted to get out of her burnt clothes and sleep. V talked her ear off the entire way gushing about how beautiful the Master of dancing was and how worried she is about performing for him. Umbra didn’t pay too much attention; she was thinking of her discussion with Master Otaro. Umbra couldn’t imagine herself as a favoured they were everything she wasn’t, powerful, rich, confident. Even after the Master’s vehement rebuttal of her disbelief, it was hard to believe him. Part of the issue was it seemed too easy she just had to watch the moon. Anyone could do that.