Chapter Six: Guidance

On the third day, the song changed, another voice joining the melody, with its own words and promises. Humanity awoke to find another colossal woman, carved from white purer than snow, dwarfing the horizon with her sister and warping her tune with a sharp voice.

Pressing down with the invisible weight of a house, the heat struck Bridget as the line of students slowly made their way across the campus. Whitestone pathways circled and connected its perimeter for as far as she could see, dissecting the grounds like a wagon’s wheel. Beyond the outer ring of walkways lay dunes of sand as far as the eye searched, rippling in waves of golden red and rosy orange. The building which they exited lay in the center, and across the desert campus, Briddy could see a homogeny of different shapes and structures laid out, peaked through by greenery in occasional clusters.

There were buildings far away that looked like long squat bricks, some to her right that had great structures of curved glass sitting atop their roofs, and in the middle was the building they had just exited, a great round structure with a burnished bronze dome shone, gleaming like a second sun had fallen to the ground.

“River’s Rush.” Bridget heard Gail mutter nearby, the tall girl was yanking on the front of her high collared, sleeveless shirt repeatedly, trying to encourage a breeze from the dry air. Even Niles was sweating profusely, Briddy could see his dark hair slowly looking wetter by the moment, leaving a triangle of moisture down the back of his button-up. For once, she was silently grateful that her thin-strapped top had been selected for her, even if she didn’t choose it. At least she wasn’t in full shirtsleeves.

“Hmmm, keep up now, students! I don’t want anyone out here longer than they need to be. The wards may protect you from burning, but the heat is still dangerous.” Doctor Nguyen’s voice carried to the back of the group, who picked up their pace once they saw that she was gesturing towards a wide building up ahead, its roof tiled at a slant with red slate and doors mercifully flung open to reveal a shady interior.

Hustling in, the students found themselves greeted with a rush of cool air and long, stretching tables covered in crisp white cloth. Perched atop were platters of clear glass, lightly colored in different shades and piled high with sandwiches of crusty white bread, glistening vegetables, and hearty cheese poking from between the slices. Pitchers of water and some golden liquid were stacked near the ends alongside small plates and piles of cloth napkins. Though the tables lined the edges of the lobby to the building, against the back wall were several clerical windows and a sign that declared “Administration” in a sterile font.

“Please register with the desk and wait for your turn to see a guidance counselor for your schedule. In the meantime, enjoy the lunch laid out for you and dispose of your waste in the marked bins. Let’s not make a mess, yes?” The regal woman looked over the group, and seeing they had not moved, motioned them forward with a long, dark arm. “Hurry up now.”

As though she had broken a spell over them, the students scattered, the majority homing in on the tables of food in a swarming mass. Seeing how crowded it was, Briddy instead steered herself towards the windows at the front, waiting behind another student who had gotten their first.

“Name?” A man’s voice droned, its nasal tone grating on her ears.

“Asher Miltark” The person in front of her replied. Bridget realized that those large, dark curls looked a great deal like the ones belonging to the boy who had been keeping court with Warrin earlier.

“Course?”

“Utility.”

Bridget glanced around, hearing that students at the other two windows were answering similar questions, and felt her stomach drop. She had no idea what course she was taking, she barely understood how she had gotten accepted in the first place. Was she already going to be unmasked as a sham who shouldn’t have been there in the first place or–

“Next.” The word was drawn out, and Briddy’s head snapped back to where the young man in front of her was turning away, holding a piece of paper. Those bright eyes briefly met hers, confirming that it was, in fact, Warrin’s partner in crime, and the boy flashed her a cheeky grin before walking away, heading towards a door in the side of the room.

“Name?”

“Bridget Vasily.” She stepped forward, conscious of the small line that was growing behind her.

The man sitting behind the desk narrowed his eyes, peering out at her from a gaunt face with what looked like intense suspicion before consulting his list. Sweat began to bead across her brow as he let her sit in silence, dragging a finger slowly down the paper before tapping it a couple of times near the bottom.

“Course?”

Bridget froze, her heart pounding against her chest.

“Administration? Utility? Medical? Offensive or Defensive Focus?” The man rattled them off with astonishing speed.

“Ah….” Briddy looked around, clenching her fist to stop her hands from shaking.

“What was the result of your entrance exam?” The worker spoke slowly, as though she was simple.

“Entrance Exam?” Her voice came out in a squeak. What entrance exam? She hadn’t heard of any test. What if this was all just some elaborate prank and Terna had never actually sent that letter and now they would ship her off back home?

A long-suffering sigh escaped the skeletal man in front of her as he shook his head and looked up at her. “Are you a Relic Heir, miss?”

“Oh, yes!” Her heart stopped, skipped a beat, and then restarted in a thudding staccato.

Making a few quick marks on the sheet, the administrator pulled out a piece of paper and shoved it forward from his window.

“Please be advised that all Relics fully borne will be surrendered to the school staff by the end of the day, if your bearer is still active then this doesn’t apply.”

She opened her mouth to reply but the man cut her off with a “Second door on the right. Next?”

Hastily grabbing the paper, Bridget turned away, the light fabric of her uniform snapping the air as she made her way towards the location he had indicated. On her way over, she spotted Gail, mouth full of sandwich as she grabbed a couple more to stack on her plate. Upon spotting Briddy, she waved but didn’t come over, swatting the hand of a sandy-haired boy that was sneaking towards the pile of food that she held.

Lifting her hand to wave back, Briddy saw that the girl had already turned away, admonishing the would-be-thief. So instead, she continued her way over to the light wood of the second door on the right. It was unremarkable as any other door she had seen, lacking any real decoration or placard beside the polished metal of the doorknob.

Hesitating, she knocked twice, waiting for a response before opening the handle.

“Come in.” A high, airy voice called, and she gripped the knob, pulling the door open and stepping inside.

Cubbies lined the wall from floor to ceiling, filled to the brim with stacks of papers and scrolls that seemed to threaten to spill over at any moment. A large, glass window took up the wall opposite the door, and seated in front of it at a large desk was an old lady with tightly coiled gray hair and twinkling eyes.

“Sit down, deary. Let me look over your paperwork and I’ll be with you in just a moment.”

Doing as she was told, Bridget took a seat in the single chair that was pulled up in front of the desk, tucking her legs under and fussing with the cloth of her Shroud so that it wasn’t caught underneath her. Without looking up, the older woman slowly pushed a clear crystal dish across the desk towards her, the small red candies within glistening up at her in a small, winking pile.

“Thank you, I’m not hungry.” Briddy raised her hands in polite refusal before realizing that the woman couldn’t see her, and slowly put them down.

“My name is Miryam Wettehan, and I’ll be your Guidance Counselor while you attend the University.” Shifting the papers in front of her, into a neat stack, the old lady tapped the pile on her desk and laid it down in a folder before looking up at Briddy,

“I had both of your siblings, too. Lovely things, even if they were a tad…rambunctious.” Miryam smiled fondly, like a grandmother describing her favorite children. “Some of the brightest and most talented students we’ve ever had. There’s some on the faculty that would be loathe to admit it, but they’ve saved the school more than once, those two.”

Bridget could feel herself shrinking, slowly getting smaller as the Guidance Counselor went on.

“Of course, they broke plenty of rules to do it, but with talent like that, you’re bound to break some boundaries while pursuing greatness, right?”

Swallowing hard, Briddy searched for the words to reply.

“I’m… I’m not like them.”

Miryam raised a fuzzy grey eyebrow, seeming perplexed.

“Adelaide and Nolan, I’m not… I don’t have what they have.”

“Yes, well. I am seeing here,” Flipping the folder back open, the Guidance Counselor pointed to a few lines of black ink “That you didn’t pursue any training besides basic schooling in defensive magic, yet your feeder academy also noted that you displayed proficiency with swords and knives. Which Master did you train under?”

“My father trained us. He said studying under a Master was a waste of time.”

The old woman’s expression didn’t change, but her hand flew, making a quick note on the paperwork in front of her as she nodded. “Your sister said something similar.”

Clearing her throat, Briddy leaned forward “I was hoping to continue studying defensive magic and possibly explore other forms of magical utility while here at the Palanquin.”

“Well…” The papers shifted again, fluttering under Miryam’s nimble fingers. “I’m sure that’s something you can look into down the line, but for your greencoat year, your courses have already been selected.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m sure you noticed others being asked what they scored on their entrance exams, yes?”

“Yes. But I didn’t-”

“Heirs don’t take the entrance exam because they already have potential, otherwise their Relics would not have chosen them. However,” The guidance counselor looked over at her with a serious glint in her eyes “ By bypassing those exams, you give up some freedom while the school gauges your ability and connection to your relic. The bearer who sponsored you into the school chooses your courses for now, usually in line with the nature of their Relic.”

Bridget cast her eyes down to the floor. That Kerr had taken the time to handpick her studies seemed laughably impossible, but it would help nothing to point that out.

“Well then, here’s your list for the year, look it over and let me know if you have any questions.” The old woman carefully selected a piece of paperwork from in front of her, withdrawing it from the pile and handing it over with a flourish.

Cautiously, Briddy reached a hand forward and accepted the schedule, looking down at the ink which would determine her days for the remainder of the year.

Palanquin University Class Schedule

Bridget Vasily- Heir Course- Greencoat Year

Dormitory: Honor House

0600: Weapon Proficiency- Instructor Cassia- Western Dunes, Trail Marked

Breakfast - The Palisade

0830: Common Scenario Training- Lady Carmine- Somnasium Annex

1000: Mystic Comprehension 101- Doctor Maistwel - Insular Tower

Lunch and Midday Break - The Palisade

1700: Relic Lore- Doctor Gektu- The Peering Dome

1800: Relic Mastery- Instructor Hennigan - Campus Arsenal

1900: Bestiary Study- Doctor Nguyen- Underground Menagerie (M, W, F)

1900: Practical Botanica- Instructor Cardenas-Southern Rooftop Sunhouse (T, Th, S)

Dinner - The Palisade

2000:Library Study (M, F) - Professor Murdock- Central Library

2000: Cell Drills and Maneuvers (T, W, Th, S) - Assorted - Somnasium

“You’ll also need your book list, so you know which books go with which classes. Any questions?”

Bridget had another piece of paper thrust into her face while she was still scanning the list of classes, and looked up at the guidance counselor, taking the list without looking at it.

“A few. Why is there a huge chunk taken out of the middle of the day?”

“The Midday Break, you mean?”

“I’ve never had classes just stop for a few hours and then start back up in the evening.”

“Yes, well.” Miryam shot her a smile, gesturing towards the large window behind her. “We are located in the middle of the desert, you see, and with how intense the heat gets around that time, it’s safer for students to have a break rather than running about collapsing from sunstroke.”

Ducking her head, Bridget nodded.

“Anything else?”

“Ah…” She glanced down at the paper, eyes hovering over a few familiar names. “I was told the Instructor Hennigan and my sister didn’t exactly get along, should I be worried that’ll affect me?”

The older woman’s lips pursed, and it took her a moment before she answered. “Hennigan can be a touch prickly, it’s true, but he’s normally quite fair in terms of grading.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Briddy was about to ask about a different teacher when Miryam added “Though as Adelaide’s sister…perhaps not so much.”

Her face must have held some large measure of disappointment because the guidance counselor’s creased in concern. “You can always come to me if you feel like there are issues, and not all the teachers feel that way about your siblings. I happen to know that Professor Murdock still holds great admiration for your father from their days in the Gilded Down, even though he’s been retired for years now.”

Bridget shifted, tucking her feet under the chair in one way, then kicking them out and folding them back in the other. She didn’t want to solely be known as Kerr’s daughter, or Adelaide and Nolan’s sister. Having the weight of their legacies on her shoulders felt like their reputations would always engulf her, that even out of the house she still stood on the shoulders of giants that she could never hope to stand up to. Here, she just wanted to be Briddy, whoever that was, and yet opinions had already been formed about her before she even arrived.

It felt like their shadows would stretch farther than she could ever run.

“Bridget?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Briddy looked at the guidance counselor, who held a saccharine, concerned look about her face like a mother watching her child’s first steps.

“I don’t have any other questions right now.” Her throat felt hoarse, even though she hadn’t raised her voice.

“How are you feeling now?”

Bridget didn’t reply, her mouth clamped around an answer of insecurity and fear.

“I know you’re not quite what anyone thought-”

Briddy raised an eyebrow.

“But that doesn’t mean you don’t stand a chance.”

She looked over at the older woman, who was smiling at her as though she had just said something profound. Something about the way that her expression didn’t fully reach her eyes left those words hollow, their sickeningly sweet tone meant to placate without truly being meant.

It was a flimsy shield that Miryam was offering her, a platitude for her to hide behind while she counted down the days to what the guidance counselor seemed to see as inevitable failure.

Bridget had no use for weak shields, and she no longer feared the bite of the truth. Staring at the guidance counselor, chin raised, she said nothing, letting the statement flutter to the ground between them, as flimsy as the paper it may as well have been made from.

“Well, if that’s everything, you should scuttle along back out to your classmates, dear.”

All too happy for the excuse to leave, Briddy quickly stood, nodding her head in silent thanks as she hustled out of the small office and back into the lobby. Closing the door behind her, she leaned back against it, looking down once more at the list of classes in front of her. When would it be her turn to choose?

A loud slam nearby sent her jumping about five feet in the air, her Shroud ballooning with the motion as it slowly floated back down towards her calves. Stalking out of an office only a door away from Briddy was Gail, the striking features of her face sharpened by anger as she balled up the papers in her hand.

“Yours go well too?” Bridget said, tilting her head slightly.

“Go well? Pah!” Gail waved the scrunched ball in her fist. “First they make me give up —” Her mouth soundlessly moved before coming back with “—and then they tell me that all of my classes are already chosen? Who even cares about Mystic Comprehension? I’m not some back-lined mage!”

Bridget followed her as she stormed across the room, as much curious about the spectacle as she was ready to try and calm the taller girl down. Once she reached the table which held the platters of sandwiches, now nearing scarcity, Gail whirled back around to face Bridget.

“They’re testing us to see how easily we fit into their silly little molds, you know.” She growled, picking up one of the remaining sandwiches. Reaching past her, Briddy did the same, biting into the crusty bread while listening to Gail grumble about “ridiculous categories” and “back-lined mage classes.”

“Speaking as a ‘back-lined mage’, I’m not entirely thrilled by the intense focus on martial classes either.” A voice said, smooth as silk. The girl with the silver arm from earlier drifted over, a glass of water delicately perched between her metal fingertips. “But as long as we survive our first year here, we’ll have the freedom to dictate the rest of them.”

Meeting Bridget’s quizzical look, the girl inclined her night-dark head. “Parvati.”

When her expression didn’t change, the young woman added “My parents indicated you were attending the Palanquin, albeit seemingly quite last minute, and I recognized you from the interviews you’ve done with the Final Sunrise.”

“Eh?” Gail mumbled around a mouthful of sandwich.

Briddy said nothing, vaguely recalling her father saying something about someone else’s daughter being at the school.

“I know Warrin’s about too, though I suppose that minor debacle at the opening speech would’ve been enough to indicate his presence.” Parvati’s dainty mouth twisted into a wry smile as her eyes searched Briddy’s face.

The influx of students hovering around the emptying tables slowly ushered them towards the middle of the room, and Bridget found herself looking longingly towards the door.

“I’m going to go see the dormitories,” Gail announced, swallowing the last of her meal.

“I’ll go too.” The words shot out of Briddy’s mouth as she began walking towards the door, though Gail’s long limbs quickly carried her past to take the lead.

“I shall accompany you as well.” Parvati’s smooth tones announced, “If for nothing else than to see our accommodations.”

Briddy couldn’t shake the odd feeling she got from the girl, something about the way she spoke put her off-balance, though she couldn’t quite get a grasp on why. Gail seemed unbothered by it all, walking at the head of their little group and leading their way out into the wavering air. The moment the shade of the administrative building withdrew its cool fingers, the blistering air began its assault once more, slowly seeping its way into their flesh.

“Are we sure we’re allowed to just leave?” Bridget glanced over her shoulder, though no one had come chasing them out of the building.

“The greencoat dormitories are not far from here, they should be one section to the west from the administration building.” Parvati’s arm glinted in the sun that was fast climbing through the sky as she pointed to a few structures off to their left.

“How do you know that?”

“There was a map on the wall of the building we just left.”

Gail and Briddy looked at each other, then at Parvati, and then back at each other. Bridget shrugged, and the other tilted her head to the side before continuing.

Three buildings lay ahead of them, a large cluster of trees surrounded one with multiple stories, dozens of windows, and an angled roof. It was easily the size of Briddy’s family home and the biggest of the set. Splitting off from the white paved path of the campus grounds, a winding trail leading into the lush greenery, a brass sign nearby carried the word “Courage” hammered into the metal.

“Trees in the middle of the desert? Seems like a waste of growth magic.” Gail’s lips curved downwards.

“I believe it is for the comfort of those residing within.” Parvati mildly replied, stopping in front of the path. “Bridget, shall we?”

Looking over at her, Briddy fished her schedule out of the pocket of her shorts, glancing at the top. “Is this Honor house?” She asked, glancing over at the sign.

“Honor house? Why would you stay in the common dorms?” The silver-armed girl frowned.

“It’s what the paper says.”

“It is odd, would your parents not wish you to stay in the same manner of comfort as your siblings whilst you attend school?”

“Not as odd as you’d think.” Bridget’s voice was wry. She waved and turned to follow Gail towards the remaining buildings, leaving Parvati and the cool shade of the trees behind. Trudging towards the two long, flat structures that lay across from each other, she looked up at Gail. “Which house are you in?”

“Loyalty. They need to fire whoever named these things, I’ve seen children with pet rocks that have more imaginative labels.”

Briddy snorted in amusement, taking in the rectangular buildings now looming tall over them. Only two stories on these, and no greenery to decorate their surroundings, the windows seemed fewer and farther in between. The short end of the building that faced them only had one at the end of each floor, revealing a glimpse of a long hallway in between. Splitting off from Gail, who loped her way over to the building far across the way, Bridget ducked into her dormitory, the shade in this building doing little to assuage the heat.

A small common area greeted her when she walked in, a collection of mismatched chairs, couches, and tables huddled in front of a long, dull beige wall that bisected the interior, with other doors set into it. To either side the hallway stretched, leading to a set of stairs on one end, a bathroom tiled in deep, ocean blue, and a small kitchen area. A couple of students were flitting about, most of their uniforms the green and grey of the general course, and Briddy followed a couple of other girls through the door set into the interior wall.

Another long room awaited, lined on both sides with four-poster beds, each covered with an individual canopy that was tied back, a duvet spread across the mattress. At the foot of each bed lay a box of dark stone, seemingly shaped out of the floor beneath it without seam or crack, into which a name was carved, indicating its owner. Different girls were scattered about the room, placing a drop of blood to claim their Keepedishes, or checking the textbooks piled within. As far as the eye could see, green and grey were the only colors worn by her dormmates, though Bridget wondered if the boys housed on the second floor were any different.

Finding the chest labeled ‘Vasily’ without much issue, Bridget walked around and tossed herself down onto the mattress of her bed. The small bedside cabinet off to her left held the Keepedish that her family had purchased from the floating market, but she ignored it for now. Instead, she lay there, gazing up at the fabric of the canopy over her head, wondering how she could continue forward as herself, not as the tag-along to someone else’s legacy.