I stumbled a bit before straightening back up. I was in a dark office with no windows and only a few lamps in the corners. The minimal light cast strange shadows over the bookcases that lined the wall and the sparse furniture that consisted of two uncomfortable chairs before a heavy desk with a large chair in which a man sat, his elbows set down on the desk. Papers were neatly stacked in piles on the desk with an assortment of quills gathered together in a tall cup with a small inkbottle to the side.
The man behind the desk was shrouded in the numerous shadows but I could tell that his eyes were assessing my every move. I just stood there, staring back until I became so uncomfortable, I started to fidget and broke eye contact to look down at my hands.
"Well? Are you going to leave your demon outside?" His voice came out gruff and critical, jerking me into motion. I reopened both doors where I didn't even notice closed behind me without Khagan. He sent reassuring feelings through our bond and I immediately felt more confident with him by my side. The headmaster gestured for me to take a seat in front of the desk. I sat down and noted that the chair was just as uncomfortable as it looked. Khagan laid down behind me, appearing disinterested but I could tell he was attentive to us. The headmaster had no inclination to speak further, making it seem as if the shadows were pressing down on my shoulders.
This man sitting in front of me had the power near equal to the second in command to the king, Roland Shadowmere. I had overheard Zach boasting to Avery how strong and powerful their headmaster was. He used to be the first in command for the battlemages, completely ruthless but effective. He could change my life for the better or the worst my mind can come up with and even then probably worse. And right now I had no idea which he was intending to do.
"Mirabelle, correct?" He stated more than asked. I gave a slight, almost unnoticeable nod of my head. "Tell me the entire story," Mr. Shadowmere demanded, his eyes warning me not to leave a single detail out. I began with the reason I came to the Academy all the way up to the point that I came in his office, omitting the embarrassing conversation I had with Zach and his friends. I still blushed a bit, remembering my ignorance and how mortified I still am about commandeering the Prince's room. I didn't even know which Prince he was, the first or the second.
I suddenly realized that I had finished talking and was awkwardly staring off into space. I was half glad and half embarrassed that he was just analyzing me instead of talking, which I was certain I would have missed.
"You understand this is not normal for someone to survive the toxic atmosphere with no consequences?" I gave an affirmative noise. "Then you will understand that you must stay at this academy." Mr. Shadowmere stated rather than asked permission. I knew the reasons behind this order but that doesn't mean I was happy about it. A frown appeared on my face but immediately vanished when I saw his expression, which would tolerate no arguing. Besides, I had always admired battlemages and had wished to meet one, let alone become one. After recounting the events during my stay in the ether world, I remembered Khagan's words just before we left the oasis.
"Could... could I possibly go back? To the ether world...?" I tentatively asked. Mr. Shadowmere gave me a sharp look before considering my request.
"No. You are unique and an important asset that I cannot risk going into danger so ill-prepared." He dashed my hopes with one sentence, my shoulders slumping. "But, that is only if you are ill-prepared." I looked at him in confusion, not understanding what he was getting at. "There is a mid-term exam for all students in two weeks. If you are able to make it into the top five, I will allow you a short excursion back into the ether world." My spirits were raised with this hope. Even though everyone will already know much more than me, you can never know until you try.
"Thank you!" I was so excited; I nearly ran over and gave him a hug, until I realized he wasn't quite the fuzzy emotional type.
"Have one of the students show you your room and your classes. You are dismissed," he said abruptly. I leapt up from my chair and almost ran out the door, Khagan following. I burst out of the doors and startled a dozing Zach who had been leaning on the opposite wall.
"What happened? How did it go? What did he say?" Zach started firing questions at me. I started laughing at his expression that was filled with worry and concern.
"I'm fine. Really. I am to be a student here at the Academy," I replied once I stopped laughing. "The headmaster wants to keep an eye on me since I was immune and all." Zach grinned at the news.
"So you won't be going home?"
"No, I'll have to send a letter to Avery though. Could you show me where I would be sleeping? I'd rather not end up in another royal's room."
"Of course, follow me!" Zach headed down the hall in the direction we had come from. Once back in the main hallway we headed up all six flights of stairs.
"I also asked the headmaster if I could go back, you know, to the ether world," I stated casually, not sure of the reaction I would get. I braced myself for a wide assortment of yelling, glaring, and protests but Zach looked back at me and just sighed. Taking this as a good sign I continued. "He said that I would have to be in the top five in the mid-term exam to get permission to go."
"Do you know how difficult that will be?" Zach's tone of voice didn't suggest that he thought I could do it. "There are about 30 students here, a fourth of them on their fourth year, and the rest having at least a few weeks to a few years of experience, and you expect to get in the top five?" I frowned at his pessimism. We arrived at the end of the hallway, which turned into one of the four corner towers with a spiral staircase going up.
"I have always been a quick learner!" I started up the stairs behind him.
I will wait for you here; I cannot fit on those narrow steps, Khagan called after me. I waved in acknowledgment, too focused on convincing Zach.
"But these students have been training for years, and they might have been quick learners too." I shot glares at Zach's back. Why couldn't he think positively? We reached the top of the steps before I could respond. It opened up into a small circular room with around a dozen doors leading off to what I assume were dormitories. There was a wooden table with a few mismatched chairs off to one side and a couple of threadbare couches here and there.
"This is the commoner dormitory. Everyone is at their afternoon classes but will be done soon for dinner. Most of us have a roommate but considering your the only commoner girl, you'll get one to yourself," Zach commented as he walked towards a door to our left. Inside only had the bare necessities, a bed with a thin mattress in the far corner, a desk and a wardrobe on the other wall. There was a small window on the opposite wall in which the panes didn't exactly fit, causing a cold draft to permit the room.
"There should be a set of sheets in the wardrobe but I'll have to ask for blankets and a school uniform for you. The school uniforms they give us aren't in the best shape nor do they fit properly so you'll want to get them resized in town. They give us commoners pocket money for doing well on exams and the like."
"So if I do well on the mid-term exam I'll get money?" If I was aiming for top five that would definitely count as doing well.
"Yes. Now I'll show you the summoning room where you first went and hopefully catch the first years before dinner." We went back the way we came all the way back to the main hallway, meeting back up with Khagan on the way. We headed down the same hallway as when I first arrived here. Now that I thought about it, I wondered were the dwarf I met was. Murchadh, wasn't it? I wasn't given too much time to think about it, as we came across two students exiting the summoning room. One was a pretty redhead girl with brown eyes and the other was a tall, dark-haired boy with matching dark eyes.
"Are you two first years done with your classes?" Zach's words had them turn around. The redhead nodded. "Well this is Mira who will be joining the first years. Could you show her to her classes tomorrow?" Both of their eyes went wide.
"Yes, of course! I'm Finley by the way, and this is Ivan," the redhead said, recovering fast. Finley looked behind me and caught sight of Khagan. Her gaze whipped back to me, shocked. "You're the girl that survived the ether world!" I wasn't exactly sure how to respond so I half nodded, half shrugged. It didn't matter how I responded since she already continued firing question after question, adding commentary in between.
"How did you survive? What was it like? We've only seen it once through the scrying stone." Finley stopped only when the boy behind her, Ivan, placed his hand on her shoulder.
"You shouldn't overwhelm her with questions, Fin," Ivan calmly states. Surprisingly, she listened to him. "Finley has her own quarters in the main building but I can take you to your classes," Ivan offered.
"Thank you." It seemed to me that not everyone here was like Caith, even some nobles like Finley and Marc were nice.
"We are going to dinner now so I will wake you tomorrow in time for classes," Ivan said as the two of them passed by, Finley waving as she went. Zach, Khagan and I headed in the same direction for diner. I was just hoping there wasn't another confrontation with some other arrogant noble.