Dawn Arbor Academy: Water, Wine, and Blood

Prologue

All princesses learn magic, but not all discover the dark truths behind it. Carto Carpel is the Kingdom where library spires pierce the clouds and learning is cherished above all else. Here the inventors create the most amazing mechanical marvels that run on crystalline energy, while scholars (including my older brothers and sisters!) gather in floating tea houses to discuss theories that make my head spin. I can't wait to be part of it all!

I'm Princess Celeste, youngest of the heirs to the Throne of the dale doveland, and tomorrow I leave for my first year at Dawn Arbor Academy of Arcane Arts and Sciences! I've been dreaming of this moment since I was little, watching my siblings come home for holidays with stories about magical experiments and mysterious discoveries. Titus, my oldest brother, is already famous for figuring out how to stabilize teleportation magic, and my sister Aria somehow managed to turn sound waves into butterflies last term. I've got my own notebook full of questions about creating new energy sources and transformation that I can't wait to investigate.

Mother says I remind her of herself at my age—always taking things apart to see how they work. Last week, I accidentally caused quite a stir in Father's study when I tried to measure the energy patterns in his collection of etheric generators. I didn't mean to make them all light up at once, however, the readings I got were fascinating! They showed the strangest patterns, nothing like what's described in my textbooks. When I tried to show my findings to my tutor she said I'd learn all about proper mechanics at the Academy.

But that's just it—I've read ahead in all the Academy textbooks (don't tell anyone!), and none of them explain what I observed. The crystals that power our floating buildings and eternal lamps all pulse with energy signatures that seem to have extra layers, like a piece of music with hidden harmonies that nobody mentions.

As I stand here in my room, checking my trunk one last time (extra quills, check! Measurement tools, check! secret snack stash, double check!), I can barely contain my excitement. Dawn Arbor Academy is waiting, with its famous gardens, its legendary libraries, and all its secrets just waiting to be discovered.  And even though I'm the youngest, even though this is just my first year at the Academy, I have a feeling my path will lead to something extraordinary.

P.S. - Note to self: Remember to pack extra socks. And maybe some homemade biscuit from the palace kitchen for the library guardian everyone talks about. Better safe than sorry!