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With a sigh, I rush toward the door, following after my long-never-lost brother, thankful he didn’t have time to lock it from the inside before I could decide. I guide the door closed behind me, not having more than a second to note the cream and gold-laced marble surfaces in the entryway as I spy him rushing down the hall to the right. There aren’t any other people in sight as I skid across the floor to keep up. Arched alcoves and golden beams soar above me as I rush after him down the long corridor.
I slow as he takes a left through a pair of glass double doors and attempt to catch my breath as I take in the scene before me.
Hundreds of students fill the open courtyard with stone benches and an arched walkway bordering the fountain in the middle. The early morning sun basking down on the space makes me squint, but even that doesn’t take away from the beauty of the world I’ve stumbled into. There’s nothing like this back in Shadowmoor, not even the damn benches, and I instantly feel entirely out of my depth.
Sebastian still doesn’t look back as he heads through the crowd toward a group near the front. A guy slaps him on the back in greeting and the girls preen at him, desperate for attention, and my gut twists. At least one of us managed to land on our feet and find somewhere they matter.
That fact instantly makes me dislike this place a lot more than I did on the way here. Shit, I’d almost convinced myself that it might be good. As usual, I was wrong. Possibly even cursed at this stage. Nothing seems to work in my favor.
A small bell rings and the murmuring around the courtyard halts. Everyone turns to face the open space that leads out into a meadow. Deciding to lay low, I move to the side, staying under the canopy of the arch at the back of the space as a man suddenly appears in the air.
Projection.
It’s only faint, but I can tell it’s not a natural person with how their shoulder flickers on the left. I recognize the man, though. He was in the pamphlet I read on the way over here. It’s—
“Students,” he calls, garnering a tandem response from every student.
“Professor Burton.”
Chills run down my spine at the snap of obedience. It’s palpable in the air as I gulp.
“We’ll be brief today. We lost two pupils in the early hours of this morning to an attack in the northwest of Ashdale.” My heart lurches, confusion washing over me. “They believed they had the strength to fight among men, as I’m sure many fourth years do. Let their deaths be a lesson to you.”
What the fuck?
I gape at him. His words blur as he rattles on about knowing our place, paying closer attention, and learning from those offering their aid if we want to live longer than our peers. I’m left reeling from the flippant delivery of such impactful information.
Students just…died?
What attack?
Ashdale?
It’s clear there’s a lot I don’t know from being isolated in Shadowmoor, but do I even want to find out?
“That’s all for today. Strength testing will commence in three weeks. Follow the sun, destroy the shadows, and survive another dawn.” His voice booms through the space and I gape as every student present repeats the latter statement back to him in chorus.
Just like that, he’s gone again, but my eyebrows are still drawn in bewilderment.
Everyone disperses, bustling around me in groups as they head off, making it hard to keep track of Sebastian. When it’s clear he’s not coming back and the courtyard dwindles down to just a handful of people, I curse.
“Motherfucker.”
I tap my boot against the pillar beside me, annoyance getting the better of me. Someone clears their throat to my right and I turn to see a girl standing with her arms folded nervously over her chest.
“Are you okay there?” she asks tentatively, her round blue eyes blinking at me as her button nose twitches.
“Uh…” I pause, hating to ask for help, but what alternative do I have right now? “I havenoidea where I am, and my br—my guide seems to have disappeared,” I admit, tucking a loose lock of pink hair behind my ear.
She offers me a reassuring smile, glancing around us before fixing her gaze back on me. “If he happens to be called Sebastian, then there’s no way in Hell he’s coming back. I don’t know how he became a prefect, but he has no interest in anyone but himself. Please don’t expect him to recognize or acknowledge you for the remainder of your time here,” she says with a chuckle, and I grin in response.
If only I could guarantee he would fuck off and pay me no mind, I would dive into my time here with relish, but something tells me I won’t be so lucky. Not unless he manages to get ahold of Abel and organize my departure. I’d more than happily hear from him then.
“I like you already,” I say, taking a deep breath as I try my luck. “Do you mind helping me out?”
“You shouldn’t,” she murmurs, adding to all the confusion I’m already handling.
“I shouldn’t what?”
