Fragments of Alchemy: The Code Keeper
Chapter Fourteen

The Choice and The Oath

“Allie?” She heard her father’s voice with the hint of an echo, like coming out of a dream.

Thea sat up with a jerk, and her head rushed so violently she nearly passed out again. “Am I out of time?!” she asked urgently, blinking tears out of her eyes and looking around for the sand timer. Barely any sand remained in the top of the hourglass.

Her parents were both kneeling next to her. Her mother put her hand on her shoulder, as if to hold her down. “You’ve done enough!” she said.

“Fiona, let her keep going if she wants,” her father said, and he reached out and grabbed Thea’s hand. Thea took a breath and nodded, and her father pulled her to her feet. Thea’s head rushed with a wave of dizziness, but she only wobbled a little.

Thea moved on to the last pedestal. Only one Insignia had been melded to the pedestal. She couldn’t lift the Circle to see the Code Word on the back of the tablet. What Todd had told her last night echoed in her head now: You have to be a Scholar of the Celestial Fragment to even know what the Conversions do.

How could she use a Conversion to get the marble out of the sphere if she didn’t know the Code Word?

Thea closed her eyes to keep from crying. After all her hard work, her Trial couldn’t end like this. She opened her eyes and glared at the sphere. It wasn’t fair! Thea wanted to be Todd’s equal, and she knew that meant unlocking all Seven Fragments.

Even though she only had mere minutes left before she would run out of time, Thea refused to give up. She thought back to what she had seen the Keeper do inside the crystal ball. He hadn’t said a Word at the last pedestal, and it had almost looked like the Keeper had just put the marble in the sphere, through a hole in the top.

Thea touched the top of the sphere. She saw that among all the curvy patterns in the glass, there were three grooves that perfectly matched her thumb, index finger, and pinky. She slid her hand into place and gently rotated her wrist the way she had seen the Keeper move in the crystal ball, and the top of the sphere simply popped right off.

Thea gasped in disbelief. She had just opened the sphere without a Conversion! She plunged her hand into the water and grabbed the marble, getting her sleeve soaking wet. Then just as the last grains of sand fell through the hourglass, Thea turned toward her parents and held the violet marble up high for them to see.

Thea stepped toward her parents, holding the violet-colored marble over her head. “I did it!”

“You did wonderfully.” Her mother pulled her into a hug.

“Of course you did, Allie.” Her father beamed. “I knew you could solve all seven!”

Thea cocked her head at her father. “So I didn’t cheat on that last one?” she asked, and her parents both laughed.

“You solved it precisely as intended,” her father said.

Thea sighed. She had solved all seven, just as Todd had. The thought didn’t even make her feel sad at the reminder that she had ruined their friendship. If she had to prove her worthiness to Todd, then she had taken her first step already.

The Keeper rose to his feet then. “Congratulations, Althea Presten.” He clapped his hands once and held them together above his head like a victorious athlete. While he walked straight across the stage to reach Thea, he went right past the enlarged green marble. He picked it up and shrank the giant marble without even a Word.

The Keeper beamed brightly at Thea as he handed the Viridian marble to her. “Well done! You have accomplished something that only a select number of Alchemists in our history have ever accomplished. Undoubtedly you have learned your most valuable lesson as an Alchemist: no matter the situation, there is always much more than one way to do the same thing. And always let that last pedestal remind you that sometimes the task can be accomplished without the use of Alchemy at all. If you can remember these simple truths, you will go far. Now we are all anxious to know. Which Fragment will you choose for your Focus?”

Thea pulled all the marbles out of her pocket and stared at the rainbow-colored assortment. What she really wanted, Thea realized, was to know it all. She wanted to become the best Chemist at Blackthorn and Burtree and outperform her Mentor and even become the Keeper’s Apprentice one day.

“Do I have to pick just one?” Thea asked.

The three adults all shared significant looks. The Keeper looked from Thea’s mother to her father, his raised eyebrows seeming to simultaneously ask for permission and point out the significance of Thea’s question. Thea’s mother shook her head and covered her mouth, but her father took her hand comfortingly.

“Allie, Chemists can work on all the Fragments they have unlocked, but they always choose a Focus Fragment, because it’s just too much work to study them all,” her father said. “Imagine having fifty pockets on your tunic, each with a different Component, and you are expected to memorize what each Component does with six different Insignias … Now multiply that by seven Fragments.”

Thea’s head spun from more than just the Alchemy Conversions she had completed mere moments ago. What a daunting visual her father had just drawn for her! “But what if I can’t decide which Fragment to study?”

Her father looked at the Keeper and nodded.

“If you must, you can take a week to decide on your favorite and get training in all Seven Fragments during your first week as a Chemist,” the Keeper said. “It will give you an idea of how rigorous it would be to become a Spectrum Scholar. Of course, since you have unlocked all Seven Fragments, you can also be a Spectrum Scholar if you wish. We only have two at Blackthorn and Burtree right now, and no one ever sees them except for when they’re hurrying to their next lesson. You would be unbelievably busy.”

Spectrum Scholar. That sounded like exactly what Thea wanted. “That’s it. I want to be a Spectrum Scholar,” Thea said in an unwavering voice, and despite his warnings, her father nodded once, his face gravely serious. Beside him, Thea’s mother inhaled in a gasp, her green eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

“Then it is time for you to take your Oath, Althea Presten,” the Keeper said, and he pointed toward the very center of the stage, to an Insignia engraved on the floor. As they approached, the Keeper said, “For centuries, the Code Keeper has brought all Hopefuls here to endure this Trial and swear the Alchemical Oath. You will use your very own Essence to swear the Oath, making it a binding contract that can only be broken with dire consequences. Sit there.” He pointed at the center of the Insignia and Thea knelt on the Sigil. “Now spit.”

Thea stared at the Keeper with a puzzled look on her face.

“Just a little, into my hand. It’s for the Conversion,” the Keeper explained.

Thea nodded, leaned forward, and hesitantly spit into the Keeper’s hand.

“I am going to fully awaken your Spiritual Energy. You will have to let go and entirely surrender yourself. If you have any experience with meditation or yoga, now is the time to put that experience to good use.”

Thea nodded. She shifted to the Kapalbhati Pranayama meditation position and straightened her back perfectly. Immediately, Thea felt herself start to relax and restore her Energy as she focused on nothing but breathing.

The Keeper held up his hand and said, “Praesum!”

The spit in the Keeper’s hand began to glow and float down from his hand into the Insignia, starting at the outer rim and spiraling across the Insignia, slowly filling it with a cobalt haze.

Thea felt an intense surge of warmth enter her body through the top of her head. The mysterious warm force traveled down her spine with a shiver. It made her feel incredibly anxious, and she had to work hard to keep herself breathing calmly.

The heat reached the bottom of her spine. Thea felt her own Energy stir around her. Slowly the Keeper’s warmth drew Thea’s Kundalini into her, where it began to build inside of her with a shiver and a surge of belonging, as though Thea had finally come home.

The warm power traveled up her spine and stopped at the small of her back, almost as if it were trapped by a knot in her stomach. Thea remembered that the Keeper had asked her to fully surrender herself. Thea focused on her breathing and allowed the Keeper’s Energy to move freely. She felt the knot in her stomach slowly start to unravel and completely open. A rush of pure bliss welled up inside her, and tears burst from her eyes.

The power rose further up her spine. A blast of Energy hit her and she suddenly felt her mind go crystal clear. The power grew and grew until it overwhelmed her with the sheer force of it. She felt like she had enough pure strength to fly, like she was spreading out to fill every bit of space in the gigantic Chamber of Trials.

The warmth continued to spread up Thea’s spine near her heart. Emotions flooded Thea’s awareness, and she found herself thinking about how much she loved her mom and dad and C.C.

The Energy traveled further up to Thea’s spine into her neck and throat. Thea immediately felt at peace with the familiar feeling of the power in her Throat Chakra and followed almost immediately by the Third Eye Chakra. Thea couldn’t help but think about her stories, and a blissful feeling of day-dreaminess washed over her.

Finally, the warmth reached the top of her head. She forgot to breathe then, because the intense surge of Energy literally took her breath away. She felt a sense of connectedness with the Keeper, and through this connection, Thea somehow felt linked to everything.

Thea felt the heat leave her body through the crown of her head. A warm breeze drifted across Thea’s hands.

“Althea, you now hold your own Spiritual Essence in your hands,” the Keeper said. “With this power, you shall use the Insignia upon which you sit, and the Code word Praesum to swear the Alchemist’s Oath. Now answer this: will you with me tomorrow be content, faithfully to receive the blessed sacrament?”

“Yes,” she said, rather unsteadily. “I will.”

The Keeper smiled. “Upon this oath that I shall hear you give, for neither gold nor silver as long as you live, neither for the love you bear towards your kin, nor yet to no great man or friend: That you disclose the secret that I shall you teach, neither by writing nor by no swift speech; but only to him which you be sure hath ever searched after the secrets of nature. To him you may reveal the secrets of this art, under the covering of philosophy before this world ye depart.”

Thea wasn’t sure if she should say something, so she kept her mouth shut and swallowed nervously.

“Althea, repeat after me: I promise to conceal the Alchemical secrets I have witnessed here today.”

“I promise to conceal the Alchemical secrets I have witnessed here today.”

“I accept this Alchemical gift over this consecrated Sign,” the Keeper said.

“I accept this Alchemical gift over this consecrated Sign,” Thea repeated.

“Now swear to never disclose the secret of Alchemy until you yourself become a Mentor, and then to only teach your very own Protégé.”

“I swear to never tell another soul about Alchemy except when I teach my own Protégé,” Thea replied.

“Now repeat the Code Word to affirm your Oath.”

“Praesum!” Thea said.

Thea felt the warmth in her hands stir, uncoil, and reach for the Insignia upon which she still sat. Starting at the Ostium, little by little, the Energy filled the lines of the Circle until it was deep blue, pulsing with power.

“Today you arrived as a Hopeful. Now arise and go forth as a Chemist of Alchemy, Althea Presten.” The Keeper held up his hands, and Thea got to her feet, rather shaky with exhaustion. Her parents both gave Thea a congratulatory pat on the back for passing her Trial with flying colors.

Thea and her parents left the Chamber of Trials and followed the Keeper to the Bookkeeper’s desk. “Tenebrous, would you be so kind as to provide Althea Presten with her Initium’s vest,” the Keeper said, and Thea and her parents beamed.

“And what Fragment will the young Chemist Focus on?” Tenebrous asked with a shred of agitation in his voice.

“All of them,” Thea said proudly, and she held up her seven marbles.

Tenebrous glowered at Thea. “Well aren’t you a haughty one,” he said indignantly. The old man hobbled to a storeroom near the door to the Keeper’s Chamber and disappeared.

While they stood waiting, Thea grew dizzy with tiredness. “When do my lessons start?” she asked sleepily.

“Not until you’ve had a proper day’s rest,” her mother said, and Thea nodded with relief.

“Is that what classes will be like?” She blinked as her vision went blurry for a moment.

“You might replace that as a Spectrum Scholar, your lessons will be just as grueling as your Trial today, but with time you will grow accustomed to the rigor,” the Keeper said. “Your tutors will also teach you to be more efficient with your Energy, and to replenish your Chakras.”

“Yes … sir—Keeper,” Thea said around a wide yawn.

“I look forward to hearing good things about you,” the Keeper said.

“Thank you,” Thea said.

“May I speak privately with your parents for a moment?” the Keeper asked, and Thea nodded sleepily. The adults stepped up to the Keeper’s chamber, but stayed within Thea’s sights. They gathered in a tight circle and spoke urgently to one another, and Thea couldn’t help but wonder what they were talking about. The sight made her rather uncomfortable.

Thea put her hand in her pocket to stroke C.C. While she waited, she rocked back and forth on her feet, feeling more and more lightheaded with every passing minute. In her pocket, C.C. nuzzled Thea’s hand, and she couldn’t help but smile at the velvety cool touch of her Chimaera’s nose.

Tenebrous finally returned with a short red vest quite literally covered in pockets. Thea blinked the sleepy tears out of her green eyes and furrowed her brow at the vest. Red was the color of the Cardinal Fragment. Hadn’t Thea said she would study all Seven Fragments? So why had Tenebrous brought her this red vest?

Tenebrous held out the vest, but Thea hesitated. Then she blinked again and did a double take. The vest no longer looked red. In fact, as she watched, the color seemed to be changing before her eyes.

“I haven’t got all day to stand here holding your vest like some coat rack,” Tenebrous snapped, and Thea jumped and snatched the vest away, just as the color finished changing from red to orange. So that’s what made this a Spectrum Scholar’s vest. It changed colors!

Thea took the vest and pulled it on over her jacket. She put her marbles into one of the larger pockets in the front of the vest and turned toward her parents, a sleepy grin spreading across her face.

Her parents returned to her side and took up several bags filled with the rest of Thea’s uniform, including several sets of linens—tunics and slacks—and new knee-high black leather boots. Thea waved at the Keeper, who waved back before disappearing behind his fabulous door.

“Come along, Allie,” her father said with a chuckle. “Let’s put you to bed before you drop.”