Sight Seeing [The Sanctuary of the Ascendant Flame]

[Quillon Hawke]

Pride stiffened Quillon’s spine as the Luminar’s praise reverberated through the chamber. The subtle yet deliberate acknowledgment of his role in Sámiel’s awakening sent a surge of satisfaction through him, though he kept his expression carefully measured. The Brotherhood thrived on ambition, an unspoken competition simmering beneath every interaction, with its members vying for greater access to the Ascendancy’s secrets. At the summit of their hierarchy stood communion with the Ascendancy itself—a place only the Luminar could claim—but the Veilwardens were no strangers to power. Their ascent granted them increasingly potent knowledge, each revelation more intoxicating than the last.

The chamber still pulsed faintly with the residual energy of the Veil, the tension between the members lingering like a haze. Quillon’s gaze found Sámiel, whose willingness to join the Brotherhood had been declared with unsettling ease. The man’s presence still radiated an untamed aura, as though he carried chaos within him, barely leashed. Quillon’s pride wrestled with unease.

“Let us speak elsewhere,” Quillon said smoothly, stepping toward Sámiel with the confidence of someone accustomed to authority. His tone carried the weight of unspoken insistence, leaving little room for argument. Without waiting for agreement, he gestured toward the exit in order to lead Sámiel from the Chamber of Echoes.

As they passed the Luminar, Quillon inclined his head in a gesture of deference. The Luminar’s commanding presence always seemed to draw the air out of the room, a pull that made Quillon loathe to leave. To remain here, at the center of power, was always preferable. There was no telling when an opportunity to serve the Luminar—or prove himself indispensable—might arise. Yet the thought of Seraphis stealing this moment, weaving Sámiel’s name into the Celestial Codex before Quillon could, was intolerable. She was watching, he knew; she always was, sharp-eyed and calculating beneath her serene exterior.

The weight of the Luminar’s gaze brushed over him as they passed, but Quillon forced himself to remain composed, even as the urge to linger tugged at him. He couldn’t afford hesitation now. Sámiel was his to guide, his to claim, and his to shape into something that would bolster his standing in the Brotherhood. No one—especially not Seraphis—would rob him of this victory.

Seraphis

Seraphis lingered beside Calliope, her composure a study in poise, though her sharp gaze flickered occasionally toward Quillon. Her eyes followed his retreating form as he led Sámiel from the Chamber of Echoes, her expression carefully neutral but faintly tinged with disdain. She knew Quillon too well—his ambition was relentless, his hunger for acclaim unyielding. He wasn’t guiding Sámiel; he was laying claim to him, staking his place in the Celestial Codex. And while Seraphis claimed to rise above such petty squabbles, today the sight irritated her more than it should. She glanced back at Calliope, a new spark of determination lighting her gaze.

Turning fully to Calliope, Seraphis’s demeanor softened, her smile warm but brimming with purpose. “You, my dear,” she said, her voice low and reverent, “must begin your new studies at once. It’s time to prepare for the Ceremony of the Luminal Flame.” There was an insistence that hinted at how much she believed in Calliope’s potential. And yet, there was also an undercurrent of pride, a sense that she had already decided Calliope’s destiny long before Calliope herself had.

Her expression brightened, excitement radiating through her usually measured composure. “And I will teach you everything I know,” she continued, her hands reaching out to lightly clasp Calliope’s shoulders, as though anchoring her to the moment. “Come, let us set you on the path to Veilwarden.” Her voice carried a tone of promise, but also of certainty, as if the idea of failure were an impossibility. Seraphis had always been like that—steady, unshakable, and utterly assured in her convictions.

It wasn’t just enthusiasm driving her. Seraphis was the only other female Veilwarden in the Brotherhood, the sole woman among their ranks who had walked the Veil and returned with her connection intact. Her position was not simply earned; it was hard-won, forged against unspoken doubt and quiet prejudice in a Brotherhood where women were still the exception rather than the rule. To share that title, that achievement, with Calliope was no small thing. Seraphis had long shouldered the burden of her singularity, and now, with Calliope’s awakening, she saw an opportunity to share that balance.