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“You’ll sit here.” My forehead wrinkles as I glance over my shoulder to see Brax pointing at the table in front of the one he’s at with Eldon.
Pursing my lips, I shake my head. “I appreciate you guys helping me out, but now you’re throwing out orders and demands like I have to listen and I don’t.”
The room goes quiet around me, my gaze locked on Brax’s as his eyes narrow.
“You will sit here,” he repeats slowly, like he didn’t hear a damn word I just said, and I sigh.
“It’s okay, Raven. Let’s just sit there,” Leila murmurs, linking her arm through mine and pulling me the remainder of the way to the table Brax is insistent on.
I want to argue and assert my independence and put the asshole in his place, but when I glance around the room, I realize everywhere else, bar one other table, is already taken. The table where little Miss Pissy from outside is standing with her friend beside her and they’re both glaring in my direction.
Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I’m about done with all the judgment and orders being thrown my way, but the professor steps through the door and gains everyone’s attention. Pissy One and Pissy Two take their seats, leaving me with no choice but to take my own. Leila quietly takes the spot to my right as I drop my bag to the floor.
“Who’s that girl over there?” I whisper, leaning into Leila as she follows my line of sight.
“That’s Genie. She’s… awful.” Leila quickly drops her gaze, busying herself as I glare at the back of her head for a second longer until Creed clears his throat. He’s seated with Zane at the table to the right of Brax and Eldon, and when I look back at him, he’s giving me a pointed stare.
I want to shove my finger up at him, remind him that they talked about this crazy bitch this morning, yet he wants me to do nothing to defend myself. I don’t care if she hasn’t actually made a move yet. The trick is to swing first before they get a chance. I prefer the upper hand, even if I am out of my depth.
“Good morning. If everyone wants to set up, we will be doing a heavy overview of the Eliven Realm and the different towns, cities, and surrounding areas today,” the professor explains. “We’ll be doing a comprehensive test in a few weeks and you’ll want the information for review.”
Thick brown leather-bound books appear on the desks in front of everyone, me included, and I jump in surprise. A feather-tipped quill appears beside it and I watch in a mixture of shock and awe as Leila runs her hand over the front of the book and it flips open to a blank page. The quill floats in the air, hovering above the parchment, just like in the receptionist’s office yesterday.
Glancing around the room, I watch everybody else do the same thing and my heart sinks. How the fuck am I supposed to explain why I’m not doing the exact same thing too? Nothing yells “I’m a Void” more than not using magic to do a menial task like this.
My heart rate picks up, but I still reach for the book, which hasRaven Hendrixetched in gold along the front, and open it up to a blank page. Avoiding the quill, I dig out the pen I placed in my blazer pocket before leaving my room and steady my hand over the paper, ready to write.
“As I’m sure you’re all aware, Eliven Realm is comprised of six main areas. Silvercrest is the most central point. North of here, you have Haven Court, Amberglen, and Pinebrook. Leaving Ashdale and Shadowmoor as our more southern regions.”
“You mean the poor regions,” Genie says with a laugh, and anger vibrates through my bones. A few other students chuckle along with her but, to my surprise, the professor doesn’t join in.
“Actually, Genie, each part of Eliven plays an important role. If every part of our realm were the exact same, it wouldn’t exist.”
What does that even mean?
“Why?” Genie’s friend asks with her face scrunched in disgust.
“That’s what this class is for, Harper. If you two could keep your mouths shut for a minute, you might learn something.” I bite back my own smile as the room rumbles with laughter again while noting everything he has said so far.
“What are you doing?” Leila asks, frowning at me and where my hand rests on the book.
“Oh, I retain information better this way, that’s all,” I rush, and although she stares at me funny for a few more seconds, she shrugs and turns back to the professor. I sigh with relief.
“Shadowmoor and Ashdale are the closest gateways to the Basilica Realm. They remain dark, torn, and on the verge of breaking to protect Haven Court. Just as Amberglen and Pinebrook shield the capital.”
My hand pauses, my mouth falling slack as I glance up at the professor. He says the words so casually, like there isn’t death and despair ripping Shadowmoor apart, and it pisses me off.
“Why are they left in that state? What about the people who live there?” I ask, unable to stop myself. I may not have enjoyed my time in Shadowmoor, but nobody does. There’s no way out, and it seems that’s just how they like it.
Everybody glances at me, eyebrows raised at my question as the professor clears his throat. “Miss Raven Hendrix, correct?” I nod, finally taking him in for the first time as he stands with his hands gripping the lapels of his tweed blazer. Flecks of gray tint his otherwise dark hair and the stubble on his cheeks is at least a day old. “Well, Raven, the Basilica Realm continues to believe the rest of our realm looks like that too. It’s how we’ve managed to keep them at bay for so long.” The pride in his tone is apparent.
“But what about the people who live there? Why don’t they see any benefits from that? They don’t receive any reward for living how they do. That hardly seems fair, especially if they’ve played such a big part in defending our realm like that.” I’m pushing, I know I am, and he’s obviously not the right person to be asking, but the anger is gnawing away at me.
He fixes his glasses on the bridge of his nose. “I don’t have the answers to that, unfortunately. All I have is the knowledge to empower you in your journey. What you do with it beyond this institution is none of my business.” My eyebrows pinch together. That’s not an answer to my question at all, but before I can breathe another word, he turns away from me and continues with the lesson. “Each part of our realm has outposts for us to defend our beloved home. They have played a successful role in fending off attacks and keeping any power-driven leaders from other realms from trying to take our lands. Another factor in our success is the well-trained students of Silvercrest Academy. Our investment in your training ensures the security of our borders.”
What a load of bullshit. Instead of trying to blow air up our asses to inflate our egos, maybe he should explain in more detail why any of this is necessary. But what the fuck do I know?
I barely register anything else he says, too hung up on the fact that I was living that life for fourteen years, never truly understanding why things were such a struggle. The feeling of helplessness that claws at you is undeniable in Shadowmoor, and everyone else seems to be aware of it. More than that, they’re intentionally crafting it to stay that way in order to defend themselves and their beloved capital.
