But just because someone is oppressed doesn't make them good. And just because someone is part of the system—privileged even—that doesn't make them bad.
So what is Nightfall fighting for? Who is she—who am I—fighting for?
I don't have the answers as I show my Initiate ring to the guards at the Vianney subway exit and make my way through the small island town to the Castle.
I've had Evie turned off for a while, and I turn her on as I stop under a tree just inside the Castle gates. I'm shaking and, I realize, crying. I sink under the tree and listen to the messages Evie has for me. All from Corinne, telling me to hurry.
I like my new roommate. She's sweet. Kind. Not evil.
But that man in the city, he was evil. Or if evil doesn't exist, as some believe, then he's very, very, broken.
I'm petting the cat, who has calmed under my touch and is purring against my chest, when my grandfather walks up to me in his long Chancellor robes, his hair groomed but still a wild halo of white, his long beard tamed into a braid that falls down his chest. He lowers himself to the ground to sit next to me. "Hello, Scarlett."
"Hello."
"You look deep in troubled thought," he says.
I nod and tell him about the man torturing the cat. "Zeniths are mistreated, and that needs to stop. It's not right. But they also mistreat others, and that's not right. Is there a way to protect the rights of one people without sacrificing the safety of another?"
I'm not actually expecting an answer, because I'm not sure one exists, but he responds. "People aren't perfect, but they need to be given a chance to better themselves. To live. To figure out where they fit in this giant cog of humanity."
Right. So he doesn't really know the answer either.
He reaches over to pet the cat, and the cat purrs louder. "Have you given him a name?"
"Not yet."
"How about Nox?"
I look down at the black cat with the big gold eyes. "Latin for night?"
The Chancellor smiles. "I'm glad to see you've learned your Latin. But I'm not surprised." His eyes get a faraway look that I now recognize as him thinking about his daughter. "You mother always did have an ear for the dead languages."
I want to ask more about her, but I don't think I can handle talking about that right now. Instead, I look down at the cat. "Original. Naming a black cat Night."
"I like the night," he says. "Sometimes we must work under the cloak of darkness to find the light."
I'm about to respond to his nebulous comment when he pushes himself slowly off the ground and holds his hand out to me. "Would you escort an old man to the ceremony? I'll likely enjoy it about as much as you, but we are expected to be there. And sometimes we have to play our part if we want our real work to matter."
I let him help me up with one hand as I keep the cat secure in the other. "Of course. Can we walk by my room first so I can drop the cat off and get my robes?"
He nods and walks by my side in silence. I set up a box with paper for the cat and grab my Initiate robe, throwing it on over my regular clothes. With a stern warning to Nox not to eat or pee on anything while I'm gone, we head to the procession, which is set to take place in center of the courtyard.
Students have already swarmed the courtyard, and the Grandmasters are lined up to receive King Varian. Chancellor Forrester stands by them and I wander off to the side as I try to avoid being trampled by the other students. The Fall Quarter hasn't started yet, so we aren't at capacity in the Castle, but it sure feels like we are right now.
I look around for familiar faces, for Corinne or Wytt, but I don't see either of them.
The drawbridge is decorated with bright flags and trumpets blast from along the wall as the Chancellor clears his throat and speaks to the crowd. "King Varian of the House of Ravens of Sapientia, Knight of the First Order of the Templars, we welcome you to Castle Vianney."
More trumpets, and now I see them coming up the drawbridge into the courtyard, young men and women walking in step, dressed in gold and black with the Ravens house sigil flying on flags. A gold raven on black.
They split to the side, revealing the King and his family. Corinne and Wytt are there, but it takes me a moment to recognize them. Corinne EZ-Dyed her hair back to a dark chestnut brown and is wearing a glorious golden gown with black lace trim that flows around her feet. It glitters with tiny yellow stones that shimmer under the setting sun. Her face is accented with golden eye shadow and dark red lipstick, and she wears a small golden and jeweled crown on her head. Wytt stands by her side, equally impressive in black velvet and leather with dark eyeliner making his purple eyes pop. And to his right must be Kai, the oldest Prince. He doesn't smile or look at anyone, his posture that annoying mix of arrogant and bored. I roll my eyes at how stereotypical of a Prince he is, but I can't deny he's impressive with those royal purple eyes, strong jaw, tan skin, and a shock of messy black hair. He looks fit, healthy, like he knows how to use that gleaming sword hanging at his hip.
And then there's King Varian, the most impressive of them all. He stands tall, a commander who knows his rank and place. He's also arrogant, but in the way that is earned from hard battle. A way that others respect. He's huge, just as I remember. All muscle. Tall. He wears black armor with a golden fur cape. His brown hair is long and held at the nape of his neck with a leather strap. Atop his head sits a gold crown embedded with black diamonds. He wears two swords, and they aren't merely ornamental. I glance down at my new hand and shiver. I know all too well how good he is with a blade.