Resistance (Ilyon Chronicles Book 1) (17 page)

Her gaze switched to the people onstage with Master Zocar—the emperor’s officials in particular. Most had been present last year, though there were a few she did not recognize. They all stood unmoving, faces set, and took the entire thing far too seriously.
Not much to see there. But, when she looked to the instructors of Tarvin Hall, she fought a smile. One man found great interest in the ceiling, while another’s face screwed up in a battle not to yawn. The head mistress glared at him.

At long last
, Master Zocar brought his speech to a close, unaware of how the instructors perked up behind him. Now for the true purpose of the ceremony. Though she and Kaden were safe, for now, Kyrin’s stomach still flip-flopped. Anticipation hovered over the rest of the students who waited to see if their guesses would prove correct. Several fidgeting bodies caught her keen sight. She adjusted her sweat-dampened hands on her lap.

One of the emperor’s officials stepped forward and handed Master Zocar a scroll. After all, the emperor’s men did the choosing after receiving Zocar’s reports throughout the year. Though all was quiet, it became even more so, as if everyone held their breath. In the silence, Master Zocar broke the wax seal and rolled open the scroll. The parchment crinkled audibly.

With a satisfied smile, he announced, “Here now are the names of those who have found favor in the sight of the emperor and shall be assigned to special positions within his service. If you hear your name, please rise and join us to receive your commission.”

And so the promoting commenced. Zocar
read through the list, and his voice echoed out each name. One by one, the students from the front row rose and made their way onstage, where they received a commission for their new assignments. Faces beamed with pride, and more than one person tipped their chin smugly in the direction of their classmates.

Kyrin nodded her head as Master Zocar called up every one of her predictions, including Collin. Though he made an effort to keep a straight face, that grin of his just begged to break out. He accepted his commission and stepped into line with the other promoted students. No
doubt his commission assigned him to some prominent position in Arcacia’s military. He’d be perfect for it.

The list dwindled, but far more students received a promotion this year than the previous. No wonder Master Zocar looked so pleased. A year of strict scheduling had done its work. Only
a few young men and women remained on the benches up front. At the last name on the list, everyone paid great attention, particularly the few remaining students. They leaned forward, ready to jump up and hurry to the stage. It was their last chance, and only one would be called.

“This last promotion is a special circumstance of incredible honor, for Emperor Daican has requested this young woman to serve him personally. She is not from among our nineteen- and twenty-year-olds
…” Heads slumped, and Kyrin nearly felt sorry for those remaining students, but what a shock. Had this ever happened before? “…making her the youngest to be promoted in the history of Tarvin Hall.” Master Zocar let a long, suspenseful moment pass. All eyes were riveted on him. It could be any one of them. With a wide smile, he said, “Kyrin Altair, please come forward.”

Kyrin’s heart
faltered, and she went stiff. Did he mean her? Was there another Kyrin at Tarvin Hall? The heavy
thump, thump, thump
of her pulse pounded in her ears as it struggled with each beat. This couldn’t be.

“Kyrin, please rise and come forward,” Master Zocar repeated.

An elbow poked into her ribs and snapped her from the daze. She turned to Yara. Everyone had abandoned formality and turned to gape at her.

“You better get up there,” Yara whispered.

As if prodded by a sharp object, Kyrin rose a little faster than she intended to. It was as if someone else had taken control of her body and moved her stiffly toward the center aisle. The only clear thought in her mind was the requirement to obey Master Zocar. He’d called her, so she must go.

When she looked up, her eyes locked with
Kaden’s. She froze. He stared at her with a tangle of emotions that appeared ready to propel him out of his seat. Kyrin swallowed with difficulty. What if he did something foolish?
Stop him, Elôm.
Afraid her own emotions would provoke his protectiveness and lead him to disastrous action, she hid everything behind a mask of calm and ignored how her insides twisted into a hopeless knot.

She gave him a slight nod, hoping to convey acceptance, and moved off toward the stage. Everything would be all right
…wouldn’t it? Though every muscle in her face fought to remain expressionless, inside, her head whirled. For once, she couldn’t make sense of anything. This wasn’t supposed to happen! She wasn’t supposed to face this for another couple of years. And to be requested personally by the emperor? Dizziness tried to tip her to the floor. What could Daican want from her? If only she had more closely followed Kaden’s example. The emperor wouldn’t have requested the service of a troublemaker.
Oh, Kaden.
She would have to leave him.

Her stomach pressed up toward her throat. She glanced left and absorbed all the many awestruck faces. One in particular stood out, though awestruck wasn’t the word for her expression. Flabbergasted for sure, and certainly not pleased. She pulled her gaze away from Elise’s envious stare.

Like walking in a dream, Kyrin reached the stairs and half-stumbled up to the stage. If only it were a dream. She approached Master Zocar, though she couldn’t match his distinctly pleased smile. An official came forward and held out a rolled-up parchment, sealed and tied with a gold ribbon—
her
commission. Gingerly, she took it, forcing her trembling fingers to still, and glanced out over the audience. She found Kaden in the crowd, but looked away. His agitated expression pushed tears to her eyes. Her gaze switched to the door.
Run!
The urge gripped her, and her breaths came in short little gasps.

“Please take your place in line, Kyrin.”

She flinched at Zocar’s voice and turned toward the line of promoted students. Her eyes landed on Collin. His straight face had vanished, and he grinned openly at her. Little comfort that offered. She wanted no part of this. Fighting to maintain control, she took her place at the end of the line.

None of Master Zocar’s closing comments registered. Kyrin stared down at the commission in her hand. Her fingers itched to tear it open. What position could it possibly assign her
to? Whatever it might be, it had just ripped away everything she’d come to know. Life had always been a set, familiar routine here at Tarvin Hall. And she had Kaden. The emperor had taken her away from her entire family, except for her twin brother, her closest friend in the world. Now everything had turned upside down, and they would take her away from him too.

She trembled, and her vision clouded around the edges. Wouldn’t that be the perfect humiliation in this nightmare, to faint in front of everyone? They’d talk about her for weeks. She cast her eyes about, blinking away the fog, and her tears burned hot. Her gaze caught at the back of the auditorium. Sam. Whether he’d been there all along or had just shown up, she couldn’t say, but the sight of him was a lifeline. The familiar face of her long-time friend restored her confidence and reminded her of the one most important thing in all this madness—King Elôm.

“I don’t understand. The emperor wants me to
read
people?” Kyrin’s eyes shifted between Master Zocar and the government official who stood by as she read her commission. She’d never heard of such a job. “Why?”

Zocar deferred to the official. The stern man’s gaze trained on Kyrin. “Emperor Daican has many enemies, and it’s often difficult to tell who they are. With your ability to detect lying and such, you can warn His Majesty of any potential threats and persons he should be aware of.”

Kyrin glanced down at her commission again as if it could explain how she’d landed in this mess. The thought of the emperor alone made her knees wobbly, never mind other threats and political intrigue.

At her hesitation, the official narrowed his eyes. “You are pleased to serve the emperor, are you not?”

Kyrin’s gaze snapped back to his. “Of course.” Her insides flinched at the lie. “I apologize. This is all very unexpected.”

“Of course it is,” Master Zocar said in breathy exasperation. “This has never occurred before at Tarvin Hall. It’s an incredible honor for you and your family.”

Kyrin glued a smile to her lips. If she didn’t play this right, who knew what could happen. It certainly wouldn’t bode well for her personally, and she could only imagine the disgrace it would bring to her already shamed family.

“Now, do you understand everything?” Master Zocar questioned.

“Yes, sir.” But did she? If not, she’d have to figure it out as she went. She didn’t wish to try his or the official’s patience.

“Excellent. Now, the celebration feast will begin shortly. Go enjoy yourself. Tomorrow morning, your escort will arrive to take you to the palace.”

Cold washed through Kyrin with another urge to flee. She gave a respectful nod to both him and the official and turned to leave.

“And Kyrin,” Master Zocar added. “Make sure you’re on time for this meal.”

Kyrin managed a small smile at the rare jest.

Of all the most anticipated events of the year at Tarvin Hall, the promotion ceremony banquet rose to the top. Expert chefs from all around Valcré gathered, at the emperor’s expense, to provide the food. The students took full advantage of this and heaped their plates with the exquisite delicacies.

With mountainous meals set before them, they filled the dining tables, and the large hall rang with their enthusiastic chatter. To her great discomfort, much of it centered on Kyrin. Seated with the other promoted students along a raised table at the head of the room, she couldn’t escape notice. She kept her eyes down and took a small bite of creamy herb and butter potatoes. It went down hard, catching in her throat and settling like a rock in her stomach.

“Ah, come on, Kyrin, eat up.”

Collin’s grin flashed at the corner of her eye. He’d clearly manipulated the situation to sit beside her. Could be worse, she supposed. She glanced at his half-empty plate, and that was already his second helping. The thought of so much food stuffed inside her made her sick, and she willed the potatoes not to come back up. She’d avoided fainting, but retching in front of everyone would be just as bad.

“I’m afraid I don’t have much of an appetite. Too much excitement.”

Collin gave her a smile one might give to a child. “I guess it’s not too much of a shame. We’ll be eating pretty well after this—the two of us assigned to the palace of all places.”

Kyrin managed a brief smile, though it pained her cheeks. Collin had already gone over every minute detail of
his assignment to the emperor’s security force, and how they would still see a lot of each other. He found entirely too much pleasure in it. Now Kyrin believed Kaden’s suspicion that Collin had more than a passing interest in her. It made her want to bury her head in her arms and forget his existence for a while. Him and the world around her.

Instead, she looked out past her dining companions and sought her brother’s table to find him watching her. He’d barely touched his meal either, the surest indication he was upset. Few things could so distract him from the promotion banquet. Her entire being cried out to seek his protection and comfort, but the whirlwind of the celebration had kept them separate so far.