Page 116 of The Starlight Savior

King Vospella said nothing else, leaving his words hanging in the air. Saige clenched her fists at her side, searching the room. Her gaze landed on Conor. He gave her a curt nod and meek smile. But she could see a twitch in his jaw as he awaited Saige’s fate.

“You can begin,” the king announced, his voice echoing, “and I suggest you don’t hold back.” With a flick of his wrist, the sconces around the room lowered to a dim light. Stars twinkled above through the glass ceiling.

Saige walked over to the first basin where the plants Conor had retrieved awaited. Multiple variations of dead plants rose from the dirt with plump, decaying fruit. Her hands hovered over the basin. It was instinctual, the familiar pull of her magic flowing through her veins. Her arms lit up with white light. A few of the king’s court gasped as her palms grasped balls of magic.

Little did they know, she was channeling directly from the stars.

Fingers brushing over the plants, she watched as they crumbled under her touch. During their time practicing, Conor attempted to steal some of the greenhouse plants away, but they were heavily guarded for this very moment. Saige was forced to practice on the land instead. Zapping them with lightning or lighting them on fire, Saige rebuilt each steam, leaf, and bud.

Now, as her magic reached out to the decaying plant, it was met with a cold wall. Whatever lifeform earth called to, it was blocked behind the ancient magic of the mist.

King Vospella tapped his foot on the platform, already disappointed by her lack of immediate progress. She rolled her shoulders back and exhaled a slow breath. She wouldn’t let defeat come so quickly. She shifted to the other four basins, hoping to understand exactly what she was working with.

The water glimmered blue, the stars and moon mirroring off the surface. It had been taken from the river that flowed directly through all four kingdoms, right where the wards fell. Saige reached a hand into the basin, allowing it to drift. It was oddly soft between her fingertips. Cleansing.

The next basin had Ignesa’s fire. Instead of the reddish orange hue of traditional fire or the purple of storm-wielders, it flickered white and gold. Just like her starlight. It must’ve been difficult to obtain such a thing. Niana once explained that Ignesa’s fire lit all the sconces, candles, and hearths in the Institute of Light.

Saige couldn’t believe the fourth basin was even allowed here. Pure mist trapped under glass. It ebbed and flowed, pulsing under the dome. A cool sensation traveled across her skin. It reminded her of being in the greenhouse, watching the mist press against the transparent windows. Waiting to devour them.

The fifth one was still a mystery. She assumed it depicted spirit. Stepping forward, she hovered over the basin. The stench of rot hit her instantly. Stumbling back, she flung her hand to her mouth, magic sputtering out. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to expel the vision before her.

Sybil’s head. Gaping black cavern staring back at her.

The light drained from her arms. Her magic retreated back into the crevices of her mind.

With a slow breath, Saige looked at the king. His smile was knowing and expectant. How they retrieved her head, Saige didn’t know or care. Clearly they had been quite busy gathering all the supplies for this grotesque test.

“What is my goal here?” Saige asked slowly. It was clear this was not to show she could harness her magic. She could’ve done such a thing with the basins Tobin had provided. This was something different.

“Your goal,” the king said, “is to use those elements to the kingdom’s advantage. All of them. In any way you can.”

Saige looked back down, avoiding the fifth basin. She would deal with that later.

These distorted elements needed to be wielded to the kingdom’s advantage. Not her own. What exactly was the kingdom’s goal here? Yes, to heal the kingdom. Push back the mist. But that was what the king had been saying all this time. It was too easy for Saige to go off.

Conor’s body was rigid as he stood on the outskirts. He had spoken heavily of his fears for Saige. Too much pressure breaking her down. The need to be powerful, a necessity to the kingdom. Was that what the king wished for her to prove? That she was worth the time of day?

Earth, water, fire, storm, and spirit sat before her, waiting to obey and be wielded

But how could Saige wield or control all of them? It seemed like an impossible task presented before her. King Vospella wasn’t one to play games. It would be a waste of his time and resources to set Saige up for failure.

The only clear direction her mind could grasp was pushing back the mist and proving her strength. She’d need to somehow use what she had here to do so.

Saige’s heart pounded as her gaze swept over the elements. She fought the urge to look to Conor. To anchor her emotions with his presence. She needed to do this on her own, prove that she was worthy of having a spot in her father’s kingdom.

Where should she start? The dead plant was the obvious choice. It was what she was most comfortable with. But the blockage she felt, the lack of life…she needed to somehow bring energy back to it. She looked towards the water. They both tended to go together, didn’t they?

Holding her palms over the water, she imagined complete control. Allowed the starlight drifting from above into her body. She clenched her fist, as if she was grasping the magic as tightly as possible.

There would never be a moment again where she was controlled by her magic, where she was a prisoner to the inconsistent and unexpected feelings.

She was the power. And the elements would obey her.

A glittering orb of water rose from the basin. It was a bit shaky, but Saige could feel steady magic at her core. The orb had a pulsing life of its own. She could feel it in her hands, going up her arms. Her veins glowed bright with life as the water traveled to rest in her open palms. She carried it over to the first basin where the dead plant awaited. Spreading her palms, she urged the water to move forward, to travel throughout the plants’ leaves and stems and roots until the water nestled into the makeshift earth.

As Saige felt a flicker of energy, she tugged on the lifeforce once blocked. Warmth spread through her. It was a glimmer, an intention of wanting to reach towards the sun and soak in all the life it could muster. Saige complied, pulling from the starlight and allowing the warmth it begged for to pool in her hands and shine down on the dying leaves. It was a different experience seeing her magic form before her, seeing the light flow through the plant. The starlight lit up the veins in the same way it lit her up.

What once was a decayed plant now looked lively and new. Plump berries hung on branches continuing to grow straight out of the basin.