“Do you think he’s going to the Academy…” I paused. What was I saying? Of course, he wasn’t.
No member of the royal family was allowed to participate. It had been that way since the school’s founding, and in the ninety years the school had existed, no one had ever questioned the Council’s ruling.
Alex seemed to be of the same mind: “There hasn’t ever been an issue between our king and the mages. I doubt one would arise now.”
I hesitated. “Well, that prince certainly looked unhappy about something.”
My brother yawned. “Maybe someone spit in his morning tea. Who cares?” He pointed to our camp. “We’ve still got a full day of riding in any case. Now help me ready the horses.”
When we finally finished our climb, the sun had set, and in its place was a rosy-golden hue. A soft glow chased what remained of our journey, and I followed its vague outline across the hillside below.
Tiny boxes dotted the landscape, little shops and houses at the center of Sjeka’s seaside township. A well-trodden dirt path wove between them, slithering past the sparse pasture until it finally came to rest at the base of an enormous structure.
The Academy.
Thick, dark slabs of grayish stone were placed upon one another to produce a striking fortress. Three colored cloth banners hung from poles attached to each side of the edifice. One for each faction: forest green, ember red, and raven black.
At either end was a looming tower that peaked out into the night.
I swallowed. The castle was at least four stories high at its lowest point, and every moment I stared, it seemed to grow.
“If this is the Academy, what do you think the king’s palace looks like?” Alex wheezed.
I had no answer.
Nudging the mare a step forward, and then another, I began to make my descent. Alex followed softly behind, and in what seemed like ages but was probably only minutes, we arrived at the Academy doors.
At their center, two heavy wrought steel handles awaited.
The two of us dismounted and handed off our reins to a standing hostler.
Taking a deep breath, I reached for a handle and gingerly pulled.
It didn’t budge.
Frowning, Alex joined me, and the two of us heaved until it finally creaked open.
As soon as we were inside, I lost what little of my breath remained.
Everything I had heard… it did not do justice to what my eyes were seeing now. Of course, I had known the Academy would be beautiful.
But I hadn’t known it would be… so much.
Black marble covered the entire floor, making every step we took echo disconcertingly.
In a contrast that should have been jarring but wasn’t, the walls were a rough, uncut sandstone. On them metal sconces held ever-burning torches in place, but instead of the natural, golden radiance of fire, they emitted a flickering, crystalline blue flame.
At the end of the passage I could see a large room containing an enormous, spiraling stair.
As I approached the atrium, the sheer size of it seemed to multiply. The stairwell stood at its center, steadily rising and secured by thick iron railings. As it touched the second floor, the well separated into two twisting cases with a giant, many-paned window at its base. Facing due west, the window revealed the jagged rocks and sea that Sjeka was famous for.
Moonlight bathed the entire room, and I looked up to find the most riveting feature yet. The ceiling had been constructed entirely of stained glass. Thousands of twinkling red and gold glass fragments greeted my open-mouthed gaze. Wow.
“Looks like two more lowborns.”
Startled out of my mesmerized state, I took in the rest of my surroundings. Upon entering the room, I had failed to notice the large gathering of people to my left. A hundred or so young men and women were clustered around a figure I couldn’t quite make out. For the most part, they seemed to be listening attentively and had paid little heed to Alex’s and my entrance, but a couple of stragglers were eyeing the two of us skeptically.
Instantly I became conscious of what we must look like. Five days of horsehair and exhaustion. Riding clothes stained from dirt and sweat and blood. My hair a shoulder-length tangled disaster. Even our arms bore a nice coating of dust since the last time we had bathed. Not to mention my injuries.
So much for first impressions.
I ignored the stares and followed my brother as he pushed his way through the crowd, attempting to catch a glimpse of who was commanding everyone’s attention. As I squeezed past arms and elbows, I caught my foot on something hard and found myself falling forward.
Luckily, it was so packed that I just ended up colliding with the person in front of me rather than landing face down on the floor.
“I’m so—”
The tall stranger turned around.
It was him. The prince with the angry eyes from the trade road.
Many hours later, and it appeared his expression hadn’t changed.
“—sorry,” I finished lamely.
He just looked at me, irritated. I felt heat start to rise in my cheeks under his taciturn stare, but seconds later I was facing his back again.