Illiya Gravewood's Arc

Chapter 1 of 6

Illiya Gravewood climbed the steps with her bag tight against her shoulder. The college rose above her, all gray stone and tall windows. She had come here to learn, yes, but also to keep pulling at the thread her grandmother left behind. A woman in a dark coat stood at the open door, watching her approach. Before Illiya could speak, the woman smiled and said her name. Illiya stopped on the top step. She waited for the usual questions about her magic, her training, her limits. None came. The woman only gestured her inside, as if everything had already been settled long before today. Illiya stepped through the doorway and felt the cold weight of certainty settle in her chest. Someone here had been waiting for her. The trail had not ended with her grandmother. It led straight through this door. Then Illiya saw it. A pendant hung at the woman's throat, shaped like a flame, with a small snowflake set inside the glass. A matching bracelet circled her wrist. Illiya's breath caught. Those were her two magics, worn openly, as if picked out for this meeting. The woman noticed her stare and touched the pendant lightly. "We had this made," she said, "some time ago." She turned and walked deeper into the hall. Illiya followed, certain now that her name had been written down here long before she ever wrote it herself. The hall opened into a wide stone room. A long table stood at the center. On it lay a single staff, polished and waiting. One end glowed pale blue, the other burned a steady red. The woman lifted it and held it out to Illiya with both hands. "Yours," she said. "It was finished last winter." Illiya took the staff. It was already balanced for her grip. She knew then that the questions she had carried alone for years had been answered here before she ever thought to ask them. Whoever built this trail was inside these walls, and they were not done with her yet.