The Illyrian Series: The Oracle Of Rosedale

The toll of the bell jolts me awake and I jump down from my bed.

Most people hate the sound, not me. It signals the start of a new day.

A new day to show the mages my skills, a new day to flaunt my abilites, and a new day to be the best. I float around the room, making as much noise as I can.

"Violet." One of my roommates, Cathy says sleepily. "It's 6 am, how are you so chirpy?"

"I'm happy, that's why." I flick my hands and all the curtains open, letting light into the room. I redirect the sunlight so it shines directly on all my three roommates' faces.

They grumble and cover their eyes with their blankets. "I am going to kill you, I am honestly going to kill you." Laila threatens.

"Up, up, up. The bell rang minutes ago, it's a new day. Wake up." I change into my day clothes and look back at my roommates. They're all still asleep. Typical.

I leave my room and drift down the empty halls. I go downstairs and pass a few more corridors till I reach Esme's study.

"Good morning, Miss Esme." I close the door. "It is such a beautiful day."

She looks up at me and laughs. "Of course you'd think that. It's your graduation day after all."

I sigh happily. "My graduation from Lockheart. It's been 21 years and the day has finally come."

"We'll miss you so much, you were the best student the institution ever had. What will all your friends do now that you're going? What will I do?"

"I'll come visit, I promise. Sandringham isn't too far from here."

She frowns. "Where did you hear that?"

My smile grows wider. "Mistress Cordelia told me last night. I was over the moon, could barely sleep."

"Well you should be happy, it's an amazing opportunity. To be the royal magic advisor to the monarch. A position that's only ever been held by sorcerers."

"And the position is mine. Oh, if only I could see those sorcerers faces when they found out that the highly coveted position went to a mage." My toes curl up in excitement. "Today will truly be a good day."

***

In front of me is Laila. "I can't believe you're going." She says.

"You can come visit anytime you want. And besides, Everton isn't too far from Sandringham. If you keep working, you can be their royal mage."

"Don't be silly, I could never get that. I'm not a sorcerer."

I have a secret smile on my face. "I have a feeling that things are about to change."

***

It's night. I'm standing in the middle of the field carrying out my final test before I can graduate.

I focus all my strength and am able to redirect lightning from the sky into a glass bottle. All the students and teachers clap excitedly.

"Marvellous, just Marvellous. Once again, Violet has stunned us all with her power." Mistress Cordelia praises. "And that is why she will be Sandringham's royal magic advisor."

There are gasps and cheers among the group. Mistress Cordelia nods. "Yes, a true feat for Violet."

I stand there, basking in all the praise. I step up for a speech and their clap is thunderous. "Hello, members of Lockheart, today is a historic day for not just me but for us as an institution. Tomorrow, I set off for Sandringham to show everyone that mages are the biggest untapped resources. I will make us all proud and together, we will take over the world." Their cheers are louder. "And to anyone who doesn't have any friends or is struggling with magic, I want you to know that it will get better. That never happened to me, I'm amazing. But still, your time will come."

***

The day is as bright as ever. I'm standing in front of the King of Sandringham's castle and the entire court is outside to welcome me.

"Miss Violet." The king says. "It is an honor to have you here. We are so glad you could grace us with your presence."

"I am happy to be here. I just know that we will do great things together." He takes my hand and leads me into the castle.

***

I'm in a big boardroom. I stand up from my seat opposite the king and walk to the window. The men around the table all argue and shout over each other.

"Enough." The king bangs his fist on the table. "You all are a disgrace. Idiotic, incompetent fools." He sighs. "Miss Violet, what should we do?"

One of the men snorts. "Her, what does she know about war? Shouldn't she be gossiping with the queen and the other women." The men laugh.

I turn back slowly. "Liege Caper, am I correct?" He curls his lip. "I'm surprised the king still let you on his council, after the incident three years ago." He grows tense "The incident where you bankrupted your estate and almost did the same to this country. Luckily someone was there to save you and now you just insult her." He doesn't talk, I sigh. "You asked for my advice, your majesty."

The king nods vigorously. "Yes, you're the only one who can help us. What should we do?"

I twirl my fingers and smoke appears over the desk. It begins to materialize into a map of the kingdom. "If you want to win, you have to focus your forces on this field. I will use my illusion magic to trick the enemy but you have to handle the battle Can you do it, can I trust you to deliver?"

"Yes, yes, you can." The king says. "I can do it, you can count on me. Oh, miss Violet has done it again." He claps. The rest of the men follow his lead.

***

I'm in the pretty garden behind the castle. "Mistress Violet, a letter. For you." A messenger appears behind me.

I take it and instantly recognize the symbol, it's from the Sodalite. It reads:

Dear Violet,

We have been watching you for a long time and we are impressed with what we're seeing. This is something we've never done but we know it's time. We are inviting you to be a member of our pristine institution.

You will be the first woman and seeing you, we can't stop asking ourselves why we've never let women join before. You showed the world how powerful mages are when you became a royal adviser and created an opportunity for other mages to hold similar positions. We believe that your membership will open doors for all women.

Please consider our offer, we'll be overjoyed to have you as a member.

SIGNED THE SODALITE

I reread the letter over and over again. It took them long enough.

The Sodalite is an old order consisting of humans and magicians alike. It is their job to maintain balance in the world, they previously thought that women weren't smart enough to comprehend the intricacies of the job. Not anymore.

***

I find myself at a big banquet hall. In front of me are all nine members of the order. They swear me in and place a large cloak on my shoulders, it's the same dark purple as theirs. When the ceremony is over, I take my seat on the high table.

I look around the tastefully decorated room and sigh. I've done it, I've accomplished all my goals.

All in the span of five years, I graduated Lockheart, became a royal advisor, and am now a member of the Sodalite. All that's left is to live my life in luxury and power.

I look to my right and see something in the shadows. I shake my head and it's gone. Probably just the light.

***

There's a woman standing at the foot of my burgundy, four poster bed. I blink and she's gone, what's happening to me? I get up and maids dress me for the day.

I've been here six months and am already the most sought-after for advice.

A few weeks ago, one of the members died. I don't care, he opposed me at every turn and I believe he got what was coming for him. It's a little ironic that the man who opposed women joining the Sodalite is being replaced by a woman.

Her name is Hilga and she's being sworn in today. She's an older mage who has been defending her city for the past fifty years. The council agrees that she's the best replacement.

I leave the room and see a woman running across the halls. "Hello, stop that." I scold.

She laughs and continues running. I chase after her and manage to back her into a corner. "Who are you?" I ask.

She smiles, exposing her straight, white teeth. She looks young, can't be more than 18. Her most vivid feature is her hair, it's fiery red. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She covers herself with her forest green cape and disappears.

"Violet." One of the members call. I turn back and see him in his purple cloak. "We have to swear the new member in now."

"I'm coming, I thought I saw something." I definitely saw something. I stay quiet and follow him to the banquet hall.

During Hilga's swearing-in ceremony, the woman walks into the room and hangs by the door.

"Excuse me, how did you get in here? This is a private ceremony." I scold her.

The members all look at me. "Violet, who are you talking to?" The one closest to me asks.

"The woman, the one by the door. Are you not seeing her?" I point at the door.

"There's no one there." He sounds worried. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine." I snap. "Please, let's just continue."

***

I'm sitting by a fountain in the back garden of the Sodalite castle. The red haired woman is sitting on the bench opposite me.

"Hello," she says sweetly.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?" I ask quietly.

She observes me for a second. "Nothing much. If you want me to go, all you have to do is say so. I'll never contact you again, you'll even forget that you ever saw me."

"Leave, never contact me again."

She guffaws. "I'll leave, but I have to show you something first."

She rematerializes by my side and takes my hand. I gasp as a thought runs through my mind. It's of a knight running a sword through my chest.

"What was that?" I struggle to catch my breath. "That thing, why did it kill me?"

"It didn't kill you, just put you in a comatose state."

"No, it didn't. I'm fine, I'm clearly fine." I point at my body.

"None of this is real. You're in a coma, your real life is back there."

I shake my head. "That's not possible, this is my real life."

She hisses. "But it's not, and I don't blame you for wanting it to be. This place is so much better than what's out there."

"Stop talking, get out. You've shown me what's there. Not interested, this is my life now."

She grabs my hands again and images from my 'real' life flash before my eyes. Growing up in Lockheart, having no friends, being disliked by a lot of teachers. Laila isn't my friend, she's my worst enemy and fiercest competitor. No one respects mages as much as they do Sorcerers. No one will ever pick a mage as a magical royal advisor. A female Sodalite member, impossible.

"I'm not going there." She lets go of my hand. "I'm not leaving, I'm not going back. Leave and take those memories with you."

She doesn't move. "Do you remember why you were passing Rinus Valley? You were on a quest with your friends, Adria and Malin."

The memories pierce through my skull and I groan. "Stop it, I've already told you I'm not going back."

"So you're going to stay here? I keep telling you, here isn't real." Her voice is calm.

"I have memories and a life, a good life. Why would I throw it away?"

"Because you came here for a reason." She says simply. "Ask yourself, do you really want to stay here or do you want to go back to the real world and continue living your real life? The good and the bad?"

She stares up at the sky. It's suddenly night and the moon is reflecting on the fountain water. This place isn't real. But it doesn't matter, if she leaves, I'll never even know. Life will go on as usual.

She sighs. "Normally, I'll leave after showing you what's the truth, but my mistress is particularly interested in you."

Memories of Adria and Malin's stupid faces haunt my mind. My idiot friends need me for their idiotic quest.

I turn to her. "Hello..."

"Rosalie." She helps me out.

"You have five seconds before I change my mind. How do I leave this place?"

She beams and leans towards me. "Oh, it's really easy." She produces a dagger from her belt and stabs me in the stomach.

And then the world goes black.