Once the owl shut up, Professor Umbra clapped her hands once more. “You may open your pamphlets. The exam has begun.”
Four and a half hours later, I shook myself as drowsiness began to set in yet again.
I was only a page away from finishing the monstrous twenty-page test. Less than ten questions. So far, no one had turned in their packet yet. While I’d tried my best to keep my eyes on my own paper, I couldn’t help but notice that many test-takers had thrown their pencils down over the course of the exam. Some had even flung their heads into their hands and began to sob quietly. Two appeared to have given up and were staring out the window, like the exam would just go away.
I did my best to remain alert and take all the distractions in stride. When I became a real spy I’d have to make choices around others. Choices that were far more important and complex than the logic questions that filled my pamphlet.
Inhaling deeply, I read the next question.
It occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in an hour.
A grin spread across my face as I spotted the answer right away. Pressing my pencil to my paper, I wrote: The letter “M”.
Next question please, Alex. I imagined the Jeopardy host staring at me in wonder.
Suddenly, a scraping of metal on stone vibrated through Kyteler Hall. My head shot up. Though we were allowed to go to the restroom, no one had dared to leave the room since the start of the exam. Umbra and Mother had also been still at the head of the classroom, their eyes diligently scanning the tight configuration of desks for any sign of cheating. My eyes widened as I caught sight of who had caused the disturbance.
Alex Wardwell was making his way toward the front of the room, his exam packet in hand. I inhaled sharply, my dreams of being the first to finish and accruing extra points evaporating on the spot. Jealousy began to bubble inside me as I watched him hand in his packet, stride toward the door, and slip out quietly.
That can’t be helped now. Just finish the test, Di. Pushing away my frustration, I looked down and read the next question.
You’re escaping a labyrinth, and there are three doors in front of you. The door on the left leads to a raging inferno created by an evil fire fae. The door in the center leads to a deadly vampire assassin. The door on the right leads to a bloodthirsty lion-shifter who hasn’t eaten in a month. Which door do you choose and why?
I puzzled over this one for a few moments. Fae fire was known to be severely destructive. But wouldn’t the choice surely depend on each magical’s strength? But no, that fact wasn’t given. Upon my third reading, I discovered the crux of the riddle and wrote my answer.
The lion-shifter because he’d be dead.
The rest of the questions were in the same vein, but Alex’s exit had lit a fire under my butt. I raced through the rest of the questions, sure of every single answer. When I was done, I set my pencil on the paper and released a heavy sigh. It was over and I still had ten minutes to spare.
A quick scan of the room told me what I already knew. No one had left the exam room since Alex. I was second, yet again.
Chapter Eleven
For the fourth time since I left my family suite, I questioned my decision to go to the party in the initiate tower.
Every exam participant had the option to stay with their family or in the tower. Most chose the tower so they could socialize and chill. But I generally thought it was much smarter to stay where it was quieter and prepare for the final test.
However, after the mental examination Tabby and Phoebe had dug in hard, insisting that I make an appearance at the party. I’d held out until Phoebe made a comment on how these get-togethers were a great chance to discover our opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
There was no way I could argue with that reasoning, especially with the magical exam coming up early the next day. Who knew if we’d be using magic against each other?
But that wasn’t the only reason I was going to the party. I also didn’t want to be in my family suite at the moment. Mother was in a tizzy because, apparently, the door to her office had been tampered with sometime between the meet-and-greet last night and this morning.
Father had tried to calm her, saying it was most likely just a hopeful initiate or their family exploring the academy.
I thought he was probably right. After all, the academy was beautiful and most of the exam participants hadn’t seen much of it yet. While others were preoccupied at the mixer would have been the perfect time to take in the serene hallways and unique artwork that the academy boasted. I bet that they just stumbled upon Mother’s office, thought the door was stuck as so many in the old school were, and had tried a little too hard to get inside.
But Mother didn’t agree with either Father or me, and as a result you could cut the tension in our suite with a knife. Tension was not something I wanted bringing me down during the entry exam period. So I’d opted to leave for a bit and suss out the competition.
When I reached the door to the initiate tower I inhaled deeply. I wasn’t shy, not even close to it, but some of these people would soon be my peers. Even if my main objective was to kick their butts in the exams, I also wanted to make a good impression—particularly with Alex. A tingle ran through me at the thought of seeing the hot healer again, and I straightened my shoulders to project confidence. Finally, I shoved the heavy door to the tower open.
The circular common space was packed. Almost every single person taking the entrance exams was present, lounging on the couches and chairs with red cups in their hands. Some were hanging out on one of the six levels that spiraled upward, toward the massive domed skylight. Music with a heavy bass, giggles, and laughter filled my ears. And the scent of pot, definitely not a Spellcasters approved substance, wafted through the air alongside a more sour smell.
Beer. My nose wrinkled. Although Mother would not approve, I supposed this sort of thing was to be expected. Most of us were already eighteen, and in the witching world that was the legal drinking age. Plus, it was probably one of the first times a lot of these kids had been away from their parents. I couldn’t blame them for wanting to live it up—even if their parents were only staying a short distance away.
Although I wasn’t a big fan of beer, I didn’t want to feel out of place or appear unapproachable, so I grabbed a cup. Before I even got the chance to fill it with a light beer that smelled slightly better than the more pungent, darker one, Tabitha was at my side.
“Di! Finally, you’re here! I’ve just been chatting with Hunter.” Her voice grew breathy when she said his name. “Oh my God, Di, I think I’m in love. He’s so . . . perfect.” She tilted her head and shook back her long black hair, exposing her neck in apparent ecstasy.
I bit back a laugh. Tabby could be so dramatic sometimes. “Is that the alcohol talking?”
Tabby’s head snapped back to a neutral position. “Are you joking? I mean, yeah—I’ve had a couple beers—but come on! He’s like the hottest guy here and his magic is so strong.” She fanned herself. “I bet other parts of him are strong too.”
Blech.
I was saved from responding by the devil himself. Hunter slid up the pony keg and smoothly snaked an arm around Tabby. The other, I noticed, was already firmly around Phoebe’s waist. “We were wondering where you went, Tabby Cat. Phoebe and I were just talking about taking a little tour of the rooms. Wanna come?” He grinned down at her, all perfect white teeth, shaggy blond hair, and glimmering green eyes.
“Hell yeah,” Tabitha giggled. “Let’s do it. Wanna join, Di?”
“Yeahhhh, no thanks.” No way in hell was I “checking out the rooms”, which I was pretty sure was codespeak for having a group make out session with Hunter. “I’m networking.”
“Suit yourself!” Tabitha chirped and the trio skipped off, like the three horny teenagers they were.
“Hopefully the people who are already upstairs locked the doors behind them,” someone said from behind me.
I turned to find a girl I’d not
iced before but hadn’t spoken to yet. She was short, and her hair was long and purple. If I recalled correctly, she had finished the physical test not long after me.
“Yeah, hopefully,” I said, knowing full well that there were no actual locks on the rooms.
When school was in session the doors were controlled by voice activation. Only the room’s occupants could open and lock them during the school year. However, tonight the locking mechanisms had been set up specially to react to a simple incantation, rather than voice activation. I sincerely doubted that anyone who went upstairs in a haze of passion and beer had seen the instructions placed in the rooms regarding how to use the incantations. My friends might be getting an eyeful—or others might walk in on them—but that was on them.
“I’m Amethyst,” the girl stuck out her hand. “You’re Headmistress Wake’s daughter, right?”
I nodded. “Diana Wake. I noticed you did well on the physical exam. That’s a good sign.”
Amethyst broke into a sweet smile. “Thanks. I feel like I’m just hanging on. I suppose I better get used to it. I’ll probably feel the same way during the Culling and the Grind if I get in.” She let out a long sigh. “It sucks, but my true interests aren’t even options for students to study until the Crucible year. Still, I think suffering through the first two years will be worth it to study my passion.”
“I can’t disagree,” I said. Spellcasters students were always guaranteed a job after they graduated. Usually really good ones too. “Which areas of study are you interested in then?”
“My parents are pretty good spirit walkers and talkers. I want to follow in their footsteps.”
My spine straightened. Spirit walking and talking was a rare skill, almost as rare as warping. And while I personally didn’t think it was quite as useful as warping, spirit walkers and talkers had helped solve some of the most gruesome mysteries and international conspiracies of the last century. And at Spellcasters only certain students were admitted into the top level class that dealt with speaking to and possessing ghosts. “Are you a legacy? What’s your family name?”
“Rhines,” Amethyst gave me a shy smile.
Holy crap! The Rhines were the top spirit walkers and talkers in the world. A wave of respect for the girl washed over me. Amethyst came from a super-distinguished lineage.
I cleared my throat, and knowing how uncomfortable it made me when people oohed and ahhed over Mother and Father, I tried my best to play it cool. “I’ve heard of your family.”
Understatement of the year.
“I wish I knew a bit about the spirit world too,” I continued. “But Mother is very strict about what I consume and see, so I’ve never been allowed to sit in on any class here. Let alone Crucible level stuff.”
Amethyst nodded. “I’ve noticed that you seemed to be as surprised by the exams as the rest of us.”
“I don’t know about that. In my opinion, Diana’s been keeping up a fairly cool facade.” A familiar deep timbre struck me, and a smile bloomed on my face as I turned to face who had spoken.
The bespectacled healer hottie held his cup out to the keg. “Thought I’d get a refill. I’m not used to parties like this and you know . . . liquid courage and all that.”
“Like you need it,” I said truthfully. “You’ve been killing these tests. I bet everyone wants to talk to you and hear your story.”
Alex grinned, an endearing, lopsided affair that sent shivers up my spine. Even if I was a tiny bit annoyed that he’d beaten me in two exams, I had to admit the guy had charm. And I liked it.
“Thanks. You were pretty good yourself,” Alex’s tone was completely genuine. “I heard that you left the mental exam shortly after me.”
The three of us began chatting about the testing and the obstacles we’d encountered. Amethyst had the most entertaining stories and admitted to barely making it through the physical portion after almost being captured by a fire-wielding fae. After a half hour of story time, Amethyst excused herself, so once again, I found myself gleefully alone with Alex.
It’s like the universe keeps pushing us together. The thought made my heart rate speed up.
“We should probably save our legs for tomorrow.” I gestured to one of the couches. “I know it’s the magic test, but knowing Mother there will be some type of physical exertion. She’s big on staying fit, even makes the students do three hours of physical training every other Saturday.”
I used to hate those Saturdays because I’d felt like Mother was making my relationship with Jackson harder by cutting into our time together. Now I was practically salivating at the idea of watching Alex pump iron for three hours.
“Good call,” Alex said as we collapsed onto one of the gray couches. “In fact, I’ll probably just finish this beer and hit the hay. I don’t want anything to affect my performance, and tomorrow’s test starts so much earlier than the others.”
I love how driven he is. It’s so hot.
“I’m pretty sure you’ll be fine,” I said and, without thinking, my hand landed on his shoulder. Alex stiffened, and heat rose in my cheeks as I removed it.
We fell into silence as our eye contact broke and we looked about the room.
“You know,” Alex said, finally breaking the awkward moment, “when I got here I thought there was no way I was going to fit in.” He waved at the tower around us. “It was weird to see the academy—so outside my realm of normal. Families who I’d heard stories about, who’d shaped the history of our country are just here, right before my eyes. The halls are lined with priceless historical artifacts . . . it’s like a dream.” He paused, and his blue eyes stopped traveling the room and latched onto me. “Which reminds me, I have you to thank for getting me the chance to throw my hat in the ring. I think your vote of confidence might have tipped the scales with your mom. I owe you, Diana.”
I shook my head. “No way. Mother would have to be really dumb not to let you in after you saved Father. No one can deny that fact. It’s obvious that you’re one of the top contenders.”
“That means a lot coming from you. You seem to be the type who says exactly what she means. I appreciate that.” He smiled, making a dimple pop in his cheek, and my insides went gooey. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that even though we met under dire circumstances, I was happy to have at least one familiar face when I arrived.”
I nodded, trying to contain the thrill that ran through me at the idea that Alex Wardwell had been happy to see me.
Chapter Twelve
My mother blew her whistle and the crowd in Agnes Sampson Hall fell quiet.
I rubbed my tired eyes. I’d left the party soon after Alex went upstairs to sleep, only a little past ten. But the excitement of our conversation had kept me up much longer than usual. I’d finally drifted into dreamland at around two in the morning. Unfortunately, my dreams had not been restful, but a strange mishmash of me failing the final trial that would later switch to scenes of Alex and me making out. And six in the morning came even earlier than usual after a night of fitful dreams.
My gaze shifted to my friends. Their coffee cups were clenched in their hands and dark circles ringed their eyes. They’d both admitted to partying until three in the morning—the crazy fools. I took a small amount of solace in the fact that they couldn’t have been alone. Maybe most of my competition was dead tired too?
As if sensing my nerves, Father laid a soft hand on my shoulder. He would not be permitted to watch the magical exam—only judges and ex-headmasters were allowed that privilege—but he’d still wanted to walk me to it. Seeing as Mother was still tense and obsessed with whoever had “attempted to break into” her office, I appreciated Father’s calming presence.
“You’ve got this, Di-bear,” he whispered so that no one else could hear.
I placed a hand over his and squeezed. “Thanks.”
“Today is the final entry exam—the test of magic,” Mother’s voice boomed over the crowd, resonating off the dark wood walls of the large hall. “
You’ll find that the magic trial is tailored to push your range on a variety of magics. Spellcasters does not expect you to have mastered upper level incantations or manipulations of power before enrollment. However, we do expect our students to arrive knowing the basics and how best to use them in a variety of dangerous situations. That being said, I shall show you to the Battle Magic classroom, where the exam will take place.”
Realistically, I would have to bomb the final test to be denied a place at Spellcasters. And yet, despite knowing this, butterflies intensified in my stomach with every step I took toward the Battle Magic classroom.
It all felt so final. Once this trial was over we’d be done. Not only done, but we’d be ranked. While Culling year students weren’t ranked as spymaster, sorcerer spy, or emissary spy like the upper classes of Spellcasters, the ranking still mattered a lot. Our performance in these exams became public knowledge. Potential employers, the government, the Supernatural Society of Spies, those at other spy schools, and all Spellcasters families could look up our results.
Only the students from legacy families who opted for the legacy route—freeloaders even worse than Jackson who simply claimed their spot at Spellcasters and skipped into the academy on the first day—were exempt from having their rank broadcast to the world.
In short, I needed to excel. My reputation could depend on it.
The Battle Magic classroom was located in the basement. It was absolutely massive, at least the size of a football field, and the ugliest room in Spellcasters. It was totally devoid of the rich brown wood, artwork, and the stained-glass windows that adorned the hallways above. Instead, in the Battle Magic room plain cement and cruel metal reigned. And today the walls looked particularly bland and sad, as the weapons that usually lined the room had been taken down and stored elsewhere, leaving behind only hole-riddled walls.
As soon as I entered the classroom, my skin tingled. Wards were always active down here. They were placed around the two doors funneling into the stairwells that led to the rest of the academy and the two locker room doors. The wards’ job was to prevent magic from escaping. And since it was testing day, I assumed that professors had placed even more protective spells around the area. That way judges and ex-headmasters who chose to view the exams from perches that lined the walls high up, kind of like a catwalk, would remain safe.
Academy of Magic Collection Page 104
