The Wand and the Wolf

27 - Initiation

Ibhan's POV

I woke up early on the day of the test, brimming with nervous energy. I had tried a few more times to work through my emotions, but it was more tiring than any other work out I had done. I showered and headed downstairs to find Feathers preening his wings.

"You ready, Feathers?" I asked and he chirped loudly. He would need to be there for part of the test and the initiation if I was successful. After a quick breakfast, I grabbed my satchel that now had significantly less flowers inside it, and my wand, before heading out the door. Feathers flew above me for a while as I walked towards the city. Calling it a city was probably a stretch; but it was the most densely populated area of Ravenvein, close to the royals.

It took about 30 minutes to get to the outskirts of the city, at which point Feathers settled down on my shoulder. He nuzzled into the side of my hair, chirping at the other crows he saw as I made my way towards the arena. The arena was large and was probably the only place in Ravenvein that you would find this tightly packed with warlocks. One thing we had in common with the other species was that final assessments were the biggest attractions around.

Crowds already bustled about the arena, some people vendors, though most were eagerly awaiting their seats to the show. I was glad that apprentices had a separate entrance, giving the crowd a wide berth as I headed around the back. I showed my confirmation letter to a guard who let me in and I followed a narrow corridor down to a large commons area. About four other warlocks were already there, each sitting at their own table, spell books and wands in hand.

"Ibhan?" a lady asked, entering the room. I nodded as she quickly scribbled something on her clipboard, repeatedly tucking long blonde curls behind her ear. She pointed to one of the empty desks and I took my seat. Everyone here looked to be about the same age. The man on my left had a buzzcut and a matching bland expression, dressed in loose black bottoms and a large black t-shirt. On my right, a woman with brown curly hair was staring at her open spell book intently, though I don't think she was actually reading.

I flipped open my spell book, absently sketching to settle my nerves, as a few more warlocks trickled in. There were ten of us in total, each one of us seated and waiting, when the same blonde lady reappeared. She scanned the room quickly, eyes darting between us and her clipboard before she finally smiled.

"Welcome, apprentices, to your final examination. As you know, with each cycle of exams, the exercises change so no one had any kind of advantage," the man to my left scoffed, and the woman's eyes narrowed slightly before she continued. "Each of you will have your own list of tasks to complete within the next 12 hours. No breaks have been dedicated in the allotted time, so any breaks you take between tasks will be on your own time. Failure to complete each task before the 12 hours are up is an immediate fail."

"However, this doesn't mean completion is an automatic pass. Your magic work must be up to par in order for you to pass, regardless of how quickly you finish. Showcase every skill you have, apprentices, your shadow marks depend on it!" she finished cheerfully. Waving us up and out of our seats, we followed her out of the back of the room and down another hall after we all turned in our spell books.

"You're Ibhan, right?" the buzzcut man said as we walked down the hall.

"Yes."

"Hm," I could feel him studying my face, even in the dim lighting.

"And you are?" I asked, meeting his gaze.

"Riaz," he held out a hand and I took it, shaking his hand firmly. "Is it true?" he asked as he let go, and I sighed. This is why I avoided the city.

"That my brother wandered into the Valley and is probably dead? Yes, its true," I said and turned my attention forward. I felt like all eyes were on me, even the people ahead of me seemed to be judging with eyes in the back of their heads. Isamu's little trip had left us to be quite the spectacle, either or sympathy or pity.