Joshua shifted uncomfortably under the covers. He was half awake already when he heard his stepbrother Eric holler up the stairs. It was hard to resist the urge to burrow deep and ignore the summons, but he nudged his tired limbs into motion anyway and propped himself up. To his surprise, Eric was already standing in the doorway. Gods, he was fast, Joshua thought.

"Ah, you're awake," Eric said, a smile on his face. He leapt into action and drew back the curtains to let the morning light stream in. Joshua's window had a great view; unfortunately, it was also in direct line with the rising sun. Right now, the light was bright enough to blind him. He squinted in the direction he thought Eric was standing and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Look, Eric, what's the meaning of this? Today's the first day in weeks I get to sleep in, but here you are with the sun barely visible above the horizon." Joshua slumped against the headboard with a thud. An outline that might have been Eric began to pace along the windowsill.

"If you pulled your nose out of a book for once, you might have remembered today is our birthday," Eric said. When he didn't get an immediate response, he plunged forward, hands raised in exasperation. "Honestly, Josh, you're impossible! Today's the Rite of Testing. Father has already agreed to take us just as soon as we've eaten breakfast. We're all waiting on you downstairs."

Joshua blanched. It was true that he had forgotten what day it was. After working late into the evening at his workbench the night before, he had fallen into bed without a second thought. Birthdays were always a cause for celebration, but this one, his seventeenth, would be the one that marked him as an adult. By law, it was also the first time he would undergo the Rite. If he failed three times in three years, he was free to pursue whatever career or training he wished. If he passed even once, he would be immediately conscripted into mage training.

Of course, despite Eric's words, they both knew how unlikely it was that this was really his birthday. Joshua had been abandoned on the doorstep of the Sajin Gospel as an infant without a hint to his origins. Eric could blend in anywhere with his sandy hair and dark brown eyes, and the unrelenting sun had given him a deep tan that lasted throughout the rainy winter months. Joshua, on the other hand, was so pale he was almost white. His black hair always stuck up every which way, and his blue eyes were startlingly bright. If that wasn't enough, he was already taller than anyone he knew, and he hadn't stopped growing yet. Still, family was a funny thing, and the Terwin's had long since proven that blood ties didn't factor into the equation.

"Look, just give me a few minutes to get dressed and I'll be right down," Joshua said. He dragged himself out of bed and opened his closet. His good clothes were waiting for him on a hanger, freshly pressed. He wasn't expecting Eric to stick around, so he was startled when he found him standing right where he'd left him, grinning like an idiot. Joshua narrowed his eyes and shot Eric a piercing blue stare. "Wait a minute, what do you mean 'all'? Oh, don't tell me."

"The entire extended family is here," Eric announced with enthusiasm, "Well, everyone that was free to come at least. and I volunteered that you'd show Uncle Cray your workbench before we leave."

Joshua froze. "You did what? Gods, my workbench is a mess, and my tinkering hardly counts for anything more than a way to pass the time. Your dear Uncle Cray is only one of the most influential people in Capitol and a very powerful mage to boot."

"Relax, Joshua," Eric said. "You don't have to impress him, and besides, he's your uncle too. When we were kids, you were glued to his every word. When did you become so self conscious?"

"Since I was old enough to realize that the chance that I of all people would have the Gift was too slim to build a future on. Please tell everyone that I'll be there shortly."

Eric wasn't happy with the tone in his brother's voice, but he backed down. Joshua had been bound and determined to become a mage all his life. For most kids, it was just another stage--dreams of leading a lost brigade out of Rillian's legendary army grew thin after learning about the legendary death toll--but it was more than just spellcasting and half forgotten myths for Joshua. Their parents tried to be supportive, but they were all too aware of the odds, something Joshua had never really grasped before. That's why it came as such a surprise to the family when Joshua had announced his decision to apply for the artisan guild over breakfast a few weeks back. He'd been irritable ever since.

"Josh, if you'd just listen to yourself. Mage or not, your 'tinkering' is more than enough to win you an apprenticeship to any artisan guild chapter." Eric flinched as Joshua fixed him with another stare. "Well, it's true," he persisted. When it was clear he wasn't about to get a response, he couldn't help but grow angry. He'd already tried everything else he could think of to reach Josh, and nothing had worked. Why did Joshua have all this talent if he'd never intended to use it?

"Gah! You're impossible. Things come easy for you, don't they? You can sit up here and feel sorry for yourself all day if you want, but don't expect me to come flying to your defense if Mum hears about it. I'm surprised she's even put up with your moods this long." Eric spun on his heels and marched out of the room, muttering under his breath.

Joshua waited until he heard the door latch click shut before he sat down at the foot of his bed, hands trembling. Three weeks ago, he had developed the inexplicable conviction that Eric would pass the Rite, not him. Of course, he had no way to prove it, not yet, so he had kept this revelation to himself, recognizing how strange it sounded. It really wasn't fair to come all this way and have your stepbrother beat you to it, but he'd had several weeks to come to grips with it. At least Joshua had a backup plan. The last he'd heard, Eric still hadn't made up his mind about what he wanted to do.

Once he'd calmed down again, and the trembling in his hands faded away, he laid out the clothes he was carrying on the bed beside him. They were the first new pieces of clothing he'd gotten since he'd started his last growth spurt a few years back. That was when his stepmother had quietly pulled him aside and taught him how to let out hems and, later, to add more fabric. She didn't have the time to do it herself, not when she and Joshua's stepfather had to run their shop each day. Now there wasn't a stitch of clothing he owned that wasn't a riot of color and patchwork. As soon as he had any money to his name, he planned to replace all of it. His unusual appearance alone had mistakenly branded him as a foreigner too many times to count, and his trader-bright garments were not a point in his favor.

Today, at least, with his brand new clothes, he should blend right in, even if he was a little too tall. He dressed quickly and ran through his morning exercises, stretching his tired limbs into action. He was pleased to see that his pants were actually the right length for once, and his new tunic was sturdy enough to last long after he would outgrow it. He almost grabbed his work boots out of habit but thought better of it. Sandals were more appropriate here in Capitol, a desert city that straddled Sajin's equator. If it weren't for the weather mages, the conditions would have made it unlivable. Eric thrived in the hot summer sun, but Joshua longed for cool breezes and shady gardens hidden deep within the city limits.

He had dreamed of traveling around the world once, visiting the places he had only seen on maps. Further north, there were farms and fishing villages along any one of the great seas, bordered by mountains and rolling hills. To the south, small pockets of civilization were scattered throughout the mountain passes that bordered the Sundered Gulf. In between were the old city-states that lay along the great river that split the continent, though they had lost both their grandeur and their pride centuries before. Despite the expanse, the Greater Mage Council had managed to keep all it tightly in check for over a thousand years.

If Joshua became an artisan, he doubted he'd ever get the chance to leave the city limits. Mages and guards were sent where they were needed, and there were never enough, but artisans could be found in all walks of life. All those far off places he had dreamed of once would have no trouble filling their slots with their own people. It did him no good to dwell on the problem. The matter would be settled soon enough, and he could smell breakfast cooking downstairs. He glanced once more around the room; everything was in place. Satisfied, he walked out into the hall and darted down the stairs to the kitchen below.