Maeve
THE GIRLS TOLD ME TO skip class today; well, theydemandedit, more like. So when I walk into the dining hall half an hour later, hair in a messy braid and a headache pounding behind my eyes, they don’t look happy to see me.
“What are you doing out of bed?” Alina asks as I sink down next to her on the bench. Her blue eyes blaze into me, and I wonder if she’ll use that same glare when she’s queen one day. The thought makes a tremble go down my spine.Scary.
“I have class,” I say. “I can’t fall behind.”
Someone walks past me with a tray full of steaming garlic-and-herb potatoes, and the smell makes me want to gag.
“Here,” Poppy says, pushing a full mug of steaming tea toward me. “It’s peppermint.”
A faint smile pulls on my lips. Of course it is. Peppermint tea is Poppy’s signature drink.
“Thanks, Pops.” I take a little sip of the steamy tea, and it immediately helps settle my stomach.
“For the record,” Lyra says, pointing her fork at me, “I don’t approve of this.”
“Consider it recorded,” I say, then take another sip, savoring the heat from the mug against my cold fingers.
My head still throbs with every beat of my heart, and I try to ignore the sounds in the dining hall: someone laughing too loudly, a tray falling from a table, silverware clinking against dishes. It all grates on my ears, making my headache worse.
I’m just lifting my mug for another drink when I notice students scurrying out of the way of something coming through the dining hall.
I glance over to find Professor Azula’s iguana cruising through the dining hall with an envelope held in its mouth.
And it’s headed straight for me.
When it gets to our table, it uses its sharp claws to scale the wood. The girls gasp and sit back, startled, but I just hold my breath. The iguana offers me the envelope, and I take it with a shaky hand.
“Thanks,” I say.
It levels me with a stare, its big glassy eyes reflecting my disheveled appearance back at me. Then it climbs down the table and heads back the way it came, causing students to once more scurry out of its way.
“What was that?” Lyra asks, her plate held to her chest, like she thought the iguana might try to steal her cinnamon toast.
“Professor Azula’s spirit companion,” I say, turning the envelope over in my fingers. It has Professor Azula’s red wax seal on the back.
“Well?” Alina says, leaning forward. “Are you going to read it?”
I suppose I have to, even if I really don’t feel like it.
Using Lyra’s butter knife, I slice through the seal, then pull out the folded letter. The girls stare at me as I start to read.
Miss Vandermere,
The Arcanum Collective fellowship board has scheduled your demonstration for the morning following the conclusion of semester examinations. You will report to the elemental magic practice room at eight a.m. sharp.
Your progress this term has been significant. However, final selection will depend on your ability to remain steady, focused, and controlled under pressure.
Use the coming days wisely. Prepare thoroughly, and rest when you are able.
Professor Azula
I lower the letter slowly.
“What did she say?” Lyra asks. She’s put her plate back on the table and is now sipping a mug of hot cocoa.
“It’s about my fellowship demonstration. It’s scheduled for the morning after final semester exams.”
