Faith and Moonlight Read Online Free Page B

shifted in a
specific manner: bud to flower, full bloom, and then back. It was like watching
the flower flow through its days in mere moments.
    Taking in the pattern, Kay nodded, but the floor was large,
its design covering too much space for her to fully grasp. “I see it, but what
now? What do I do?” Kay asked.
    Sabine allowed the shifting floorboards to deliver her
before Kay. Then she recommenced her quick, easy steps. “It’s like learning the
steps to a dance,” Sabine said. “Forget about the preceptor for right now. Look
at the pattern around you. Right around your feet.”
    Kay shifted her attention from the immense Rose and down to
the boards around her feet. She watched as they moved from white to dark, and
to white again. Again and again.
    The fourth time the pattern shifted, Kay took a step, then
another. She slid, hopped, turned, and stepped again. At the end of her
movements, she was back where she had started, but she was still standing.
    Sabine flashed a smile.
    The preceptor must have seen her accomplishment, because
Ksena called out, “Saer, Collesse, that is enough coddling.”
    Sabine pointed at the boards around Kay’s feet and winked
before retreating gracefully back the entrance. Kay saw Erik leave Roan,
exiting the same way.
    The rhythm of the cane never faltered. “You walk the Rose
to reach me,” Preceptor Ksena repeated.
    Once more, Kay set out across the floor. She got further
this time, making headway before a board slid forward, propelling her faster
than she anticipated. Kay scrambled with quick, desperate steps, but it was not
enough. She fell hard onto the unforgiving wood floor, the impact knocking the
wind from her.
    “Up!” Preceptor Ksena called.
    Kay fought to regain her feet, gulping for air. It took her
a while to finally get upright, moving her feet with concentration over the
wood. As she stood, her heart sank. Preceptor Ksean was in the center of the
Rose and Kay was all the way back by the door they had entered. Roan was far
ahead of her, but still not near the center.
    Ksena smiled at them, but the look was such that Kay could
not tell if it was encouragement or mockery. “Walk the Rose,” she said, the
tapping never ceasing.
    Biting her lip, Kay stepped forward.
    ***
    By the time she left, Kay was sore and
exhausted, and she had never come close to touching the preceptor. Now, the sun
was beginning to set. Sabine and Lillarn had said goodbye, promising they would
see them later. Kay and Erik sat under a tall tree, waiting for Roan to finish
cleaning up.
    All around them, the beautiful grounds were filled with
uniformed students reading, painting, sparring, and laughing.
    Kay wanted this.
    The power of the emotion threw her. She knew it was
foolish, but she’d never experienced anything like their joy before. Had never
even dreamed it. It was like the stone buildings and manicured grounds held a
magic she yearned to be a part of.
    Erik gave her a knowing smile, and she couldn’t help but
smile back.
    A pair of students walked past, waving to Erik, who waved
back. As they passed, Kay noticed their capes. Like Erik’s, theirs were torn
and faded, whereas all the others were bright white and perfect.
    “Why is your cape torn?” she asked him.
    Erik’s fingers touched the faded white fabric around his
throat. “It belonged to my father. He was a Razor here, a long time ago. I’m
what’s called a legacy,” he said. “There are a bunch of us here. You can always
tell a legacy by their cape. It’s always a little shabbier, but I think that
makes them a little more special.”
    “Is that why you joined Faith? Because of your father?”
    “Well, that, and because Faith is one of the greatest
places in the world, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
    Kay laughed softly. It felt good to laugh, but also strange
and foreign. Kay realized she had not laughed much since the fire. Perhaps Erik
was right about this place. “I have noticed,” she said.
    “But there is