Someone grasped Niva's shoulder and gently shook her. The novice moaned and rolled over, further entangling herself in her blankets.
"Niva, dearest, you need to get up now. It's just past the seventh hour of the morning." Silverleaf pulled Niva's blankets away and draped them over the end of the bed.
Niva shivered in the sudden coolness, sat up, rubbed her eyes, and swung her feet to the floor before shuffling to her pine wardrobe. She had just opened it when Silverleaf placed her hand on the porcelain doorknob.
"You don't need a robe today. Dedication is about getting as close to your element as you can. Besides, no one wants to spend hours scrubbing grass and grime out of a white robe," Silverleaf smiled. "Use your water pitcher and handkerchief to wash up, then meet me outside, alright?"
Niva glanced at the other girls in her dorm room. "What about them? Aren't they coming too?"
Silverleaf shook her head. "No, this is just the seventeen to nineteen-year-olds' room, remember? You're the only one in here to be dedicated so young."
Niva blinked. She had assumed there were at least a few other girls her age taking vows and that just hadn't mentioned it. "Oh."
"There's five or six girls in the twenty-and-over dorm room, and a few boys as well, but you're the youngest," Silverleaf paused. "It's fine to be the youngest. You know Dedicate Moonstream, right? From the Water temple? She was the oldest in her group to take vows. I think she was. . . . about twenty-four."
Niva gasped. "No! She's so good, though!"
Silverleaf shrugged. "It's all in the hands of the gods." She gave Niva a last smile, then turned and headed out of the room.
Niva walked over to her small bedside table. She poured a thin stream of water into her bowl and watched it sparkle in the early dawn light. She dipped her kerchief into the water and hurriedly washed her face and neck. She paused when she finished, and slid the square of fabric into her pocket. It might be useful. She knelt to reach under her bed and pulled out a smooth wooden box. It was dark Anderran cherry with strips of zebra-wood. She pulled the key from the ribbon around her neck and opened the box.
A cloud of herb-scented air rolled out. Several carved and painted god and goddess figures nestled in the box, along with bags of herbs, letters, and other mementos of Niva's old home. The novice drew out a small drawing in a gilt frame. There were two girls, one red-haired in an emerald-green dress and the other blonde with a faded pink dress. They were smiling widely.
Niva kissed the picture for good luck and laid it back in its place. She pulled the necklace Isas had given her out of a little drawer in the box and clasped it around her neck. She locked the box again, put it away, and joined Silverleaf outside the dormitory.
Four girls and five boys waited with the dedicate in the pre-dawn light. They were all a few years older than Niva, and she looked down, blushing.
Silverleaf counted the novices quickly, then turned and led them down the main temple road, towards the hub. "I believe you all know what's going to happen today," the dedicate said as she walked along. "Generally. It's my duty to tell you what you should expect today, and wish you luck and the gods' blessings."
Niva shivered. Why did you have to say that, Silverleaf? You're making it sound like we might die or something.
"I'm taking you to the Heartfire chamber, under the Hub. You'll be anointed and blessed and given instructions for your. . . . dedication."
They walked in silence until they reached the Hub. Silverleaf lead the novices off the temple road and around the side of the building. She stopped, part of the way around, and stepped up to the Hub's stone wall. Niva frowned as the Dedicate drew a symbol on the wall with her finger. Magic flared like silver paint and a door-sized section of the wall swung open, as if it was hinged. Silverleaf held the door open and ushered the novices into the Heartfire chamber.
Niva blinked in the sudden darkness, trying to regain her vision. A bonfire burned in the middle of the room, but it was pouring thick, herb-scented smoke into the air, which effectively cloaked the room in shadow. The room was divided into quadrants, three of which were already filled with novices sitting on the floor.
Silverleaf lead the Earth novices around the edge of the circular room to the last quadrant, before walking up to the Heartfire, where several other dedicates of assorted temples were waiting.
Niva glanced around, then sat on the floor like everyone else.
"Today is a very special day in your lives," a Fire dedicate called in a deep voice. "Today you will take vows that will bind you to your chosen god or goddess-"
"For life." A tiny Water dedicate continued. "You will vow to serve the poor, your gods, and your temple in any way you can."
"Your dedication starts here, in the Heartfire." This time, Silverleaf was speaking. "You will choose which temple to join and be marked with its element."
"Then you will go into the fields around the temple and find the meaning of your dedication," an old Air dedicate finished. "It is different for everyone."
A tall, pale woman in a gold-bordered yellow habit stepped forwards. Niva gasped. The woman was Froststar, the head dedicate of the temple. Niva had only seen the woman on two other occasions: the day Niva had arrived at Winding Circle, and the day she took her novitiate's vows.
"Decide now where you want to be," Froststar called loudly. "Go to the quadrant of your choice and be marked. Then go to the fields. Return to the front of the Hub, after you have found a meaning for your vows. Use your magic and create something to give to your god or goddess upon your return. The dedication ceremony for your families is directly after you have all arrived back, so find something to wear." She smiled at them turned, and raised her hands to the Heartfire. It roared and flames licked the ceiling. Then the fire gave a burst of smoke that turned the room to blackness.
Niva coughed, then looked back at the fire in shock. It was now made up of twisting flames in blue, green, yellow, and red. Each color flame streamed from a quarter of the fire-pit, then rose to spiral around other flames.
A green-robed dedicate stepped up to Niva. He held a copper bowl in his left hand. "Do you choose to serve the Earth?"
Niva nodded, speechless.
The dedicate dipped his finger into his bowl and knelt next to the girl. He had a large glob of pale brown cream on his finger. He painted the cream in a straight line down the middle of Niva's face. It was cold and gritty, and Niva shivered as the man painted a horizontal line across her cheekbones. The lines formed the symbol of the Earth temple. The dedicate stood and moved onto the next person.
Niva forced herself not to run her fingers over her face. She stood up and picked her way between novices and dedicates to the door Silverleaf had brought her through. A few other novices were leaving too. Niva didn't look at them. She was afraid that one of them might be Isas. She didn't want to know which temple he was joining. She still had a small spark of hope in him joining the Earth temple.
She slipped out the door and into the already warm morning. The sun was rising, casting a pink glow over the periwinkle shadows. Niva looked around at the roads that spread through the temple.
Go to the fields around the temple. Niva chose the main road, one she knew would lead out the South gate and began to jog along it. To her surprise, the gate was open, flanked by a pair of Fire dedicates who merely nodded to her as she hurried out.
Start with the easiest thing to do. Make something for Mila and the Green Man. I can make. . . um. . . Niva thought deeply. Something to benefit people. After all, isn't that what Mila does with all of her plants? But what am I good at?
Tea, said a little voice in Niva's head. You can make tea. You and Isas had plenty of practice with tea at Lightsbridge.
I can make an endurance tea! I could make it and take it to the poor, just like Froststar said. What will I need? I want something strong, that can keep people awake. Niva began to compose a list in her head. Chicory, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg. If I can find black pepper, that would make it even better. Niva stopped dead in the middle of the field, tall grass licking her legs. None of that stuff is wild out here though. The temple orders it all from other places. The girl bit her lip and frowned. Then she grinned. "This is what magic is for!"
She sat down in the field and carefully grasped a blade of grass. They never taught us this in class. She reached deep into herself, grabbed a rootlet of power, and twisted it around the grass. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I can do this." Magic began to pour into the grass. Niva grasped it gently and tried to shape it into cinnamon trees and scrubby chicory plants. The grass resisted; Niva could feel it twisting away from her. She gripped the magic harder and slammed her will into the plants.
It was as though she had broken through a door. Bits of dirt and roots were blasted into the air as Niva's tree and bushes exploded into life. Magic roared around her and swam in her veins. She gasped at the power. There was a loud creak and rustling noise as the new plants settled.
Dirt and leaves rained down around Niva. She watched her plants bud, bloom, and grow fruits. The bushes shivered for the last time and Niva could see a little ginger plant under one of the bushes. She smiled. Now she could start on the tea itself.
Suddenly, the power Niva held vanished. It was as though the magic had lasted as long as she needed it and not any longer. Niva's smile slid off her face as she realized her magic was gone too. She had overused herself. Again.
"Mila bless me," Niva mumbled as the ground rushed up to meet her.
"Niva, dearest, you need to get up now. It's just past the seventh hour of the morning." Silverleaf pulled Niva's blankets away and draped them over the end of the bed.
Niva shivered in the sudden coolness, sat up, rubbed her eyes, and swung her feet to the floor before shuffling to her pine wardrobe. She had just opened it when Silverleaf placed her hand on the porcelain doorknob.
"You don't need a robe today. Dedication is about getting as close to your element as you can. Besides, no one wants to spend hours scrubbing grass and grime out of a white robe," Silverleaf smiled. "Use your water pitcher and handkerchief to wash up, then meet me outside, alright?"
Niva glanced at the other girls in her dorm room. "What about them? Aren't they coming too?"
Silverleaf shook her head. "No, this is just the seventeen to nineteen-year-olds' room, remember? You're the only one in here to be dedicated so young."
Niva blinked. She had assumed there were at least a few other girls her age taking vows and that just hadn't mentioned it. "Oh."
"There's five or six girls in the twenty-and-over dorm room, and a few boys as well, but you're the youngest," Silverleaf paused. "It's fine to be the youngest. You know Dedicate Moonstream, right? From the Water temple? She was the oldest in her group to take vows. I think she was. . . . about twenty-four."
Niva gasped. "No! She's so good, though!"
Silverleaf shrugged. "It's all in the hands of the gods." She gave Niva a last smile, then turned and headed out of the room.
Niva walked over to her small bedside table. She poured a thin stream of water into her bowl and watched it sparkle in the early dawn light. She dipped her kerchief into the water and hurriedly washed her face and neck. She paused when she finished, and slid the square of fabric into her pocket. It might be useful. She knelt to reach under her bed and pulled out a smooth wooden box. It was dark Anderran cherry with strips of zebra-wood. She pulled the key from the ribbon around her neck and opened the box.
A cloud of herb-scented air rolled out. Several carved and painted god and goddess figures nestled in the box, along with bags of herbs, letters, and other mementos of Niva's old home. The novice drew out a small drawing in a gilt frame. There were two girls, one red-haired in an emerald-green dress and the other blonde with a faded pink dress. They were smiling widely.
Niva kissed the picture for good luck and laid it back in its place. She pulled the necklace Isas had given her out of a little drawer in the box and clasped it around her neck. She locked the box again, put it away, and joined Silverleaf outside the dormitory.
Four girls and five boys waited with the dedicate in the pre-dawn light. They were all a few years older than Niva, and she looked down, blushing.
Silverleaf counted the novices quickly, then turned and led them down the main temple road, towards the hub. "I believe you all know what's going to happen today," the dedicate said as she walked along. "Generally. It's my duty to tell you what you should expect today, and wish you luck and the gods' blessings."
Niva shivered. Why did you have to say that, Silverleaf? You're making it sound like we might die or something.
"I'm taking you to the Heartfire chamber, under the Hub. You'll be anointed and blessed and given instructions for your. . . . dedication."
They walked in silence until they reached the Hub. Silverleaf lead the novices off the temple road and around the side of the building. She stopped, part of the way around, and stepped up to the Hub's stone wall. Niva frowned as the Dedicate drew a symbol on the wall with her finger. Magic flared like silver paint and a door-sized section of the wall swung open, as if it was hinged. Silverleaf held the door open and ushered the novices into the Heartfire chamber.
Niva blinked in the sudden darkness, trying to regain her vision. A bonfire burned in the middle of the room, but it was pouring thick, herb-scented smoke into the air, which effectively cloaked the room in shadow. The room was divided into quadrants, three of which were already filled with novices sitting on the floor.
Silverleaf lead the Earth novices around the edge of the circular room to the last quadrant, before walking up to the Heartfire, where several other dedicates of assorted temples were waiting.
Niva glanced around, then sat on the floor like everyone else.
"Today is a very special day in your lives," a Fire dedicate called in a deep voice. "Today you will take vows that will bind you to your chosen god or goddess-"
"For life." A tiny Water dedicate continued. "You will vow to serve the poor, your gods, and your temple in any way you can."
"Your dedication starts here, in the Heartfire." This time, Silverleaf was speaking. "You will choose which temple to join and be marked with its element."
"Then you will go into the fields around the temple and find the meaning of your dedication," an old Air dedicate finished. "It is different for everyone."
A tall, pale woman in a gold-bordered yellow habit stepped forwards. Niva gasped. The woman was Froststar, the head dedicate of the temple. Niva had only seen the woman on two other occasions: the day Niva had arrived at Winding Circle, and the day she took her novitiate's vows.
"Decide now where you want to be," Froststar called loudly. "Go to the quadrant of your choice and be marked. Then go to the fields. Return to the front of the Hub, after you have found a meaning for your vows. Use your magic and create something to give to your god or goddess upon your return. The dedication ceremony for your families is directly after you have all arrived back, so find something to wear." She smiled at them turned, and raised her hands to the Heartfire. It roared and flames licked the ceiling. Then the fire gave a burst of smoke that turned the room to blackness.
Niva coughed, then looked back at the fire in shock. It was now made up of twisting flames in blue, green, yellow, and red. Each color flame streamed from a quarter of the fire-pit, then rose to spiral around other flames.
A green-robed dedicate stepped up to Niva. He held a copper bowl in his left hand. "Do you choose to serve the Earth?"
Niva nodded, speechless.
The dedicate dipped his finger into his bowl and knelt next to the girl. He had a large glob of pale brown cream on his finger. He painted the cream in a straight line down the middle of Niva's face. It was cold and gritty, and Niva shivered as the man painted a horizontal line across her cheekbones. The lines formed the symbol of the Earth temple. The dedicate stood and moved onto the next person.
Niva forced herself not to run her fingers over her face. She stood up and picked her way between novices and dedicates to the door Silverleaf had brought her through. A few other novices were leaving too. Niva didn't look at them. She was afraid that one of them might be Isas. She didn't want to know which temple he was joining. She still had a small spark of hope in him joining the Earth temple.
She slipped out the door and into the already warm morning. The sun was rising, casting a pink glow over the periwinkle shadows. Niva looked around at the roads that spread through the temple.
Go to the fields around the temple. Niva chose the main road, one she knew would lead out the South gate and began to jog along it. To her surprise, the gate was open, flanked by a pair of Fire dedicates who merely nodded to her as she hurried out.
Start with the easiest thing to do. Make something for Mila and the Green Man. I can make. . . um. . . Niva thought deeply. Something to benefit people. After all, isn't that what Mila does with all of her plants? But what am I good at?
Tea, said a little voice in Niva's head. You can make tea. You and Isas had plenty of practice with tea at Lightsbridge.
I can make an endurance tea! I could make it and take it to the poor, just like Froststar said. What will I need? I want something strong, that can keep people awake. Niva began to compose a list in her head. Chicory, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg. If I can find black pepper, that would make it even better. Niva stopped dead in the middle of the field, tall grass licking her legs. None of that stuff is wild out here though. The temple orders it all from other places. The girl bit her lip and frowned. Then she grinned. "This is what magic is for!"
She sat down in the field and carefully grasped a blade of grass. They never taught us this in class. She reached deep into herself, grabbed a rootlet of power, and twisted it around the grass. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I can do this." Magic began to pour into the grass. Niva grasped it gently and tried to shape it into cinnamon trees and scrubby chicory plants. The grass resisted; Niva could feel it twisting away from her. She gripped the magic harder and slammed her will into the plants.
It was as though she had broken through a door. Bits of dirt and roots were blasted into the air as Niva's tree and bushes exploded into life. Magic roared around her and swam in her veins. She gasped at the power. There was a loud creak and rustling noise as the new plants settled.
Dirt and leaves rained down around Niva. She watched her plants bud, bloom, and grow fruits. The bushes shivered for the last time and Niva could see a little ginger plant under one of the bushes. She smiled. Now she could start on the tea itself.
Suddenly, the power Niva held vanished. It was as though the magic had lasted as long as she needed it and not any longer. Niva's smile slid off her face as she realized her magic was gone too. She had overused herself. Again.
"Mila bless me," Niva mumbled as the ground rushed up to meet her.
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