by Megan Linski
I thought everything Lady Magdalina said was woo-woo nonsense, but after I met Gabby, I hoped I didn’t end up getting left out. I was worried that no one would pick me and I’d be the loser cat lady for the rest of my life.
Still, I felt bad for the poor guy that got stuck with Gabby’s ass for the rest of his life.
I still ate my smushed pastry, because fuck Gabriella Ciar. And it tasted pretty good. When the train finally stopped, I got my bag and disembarked. I was left standing on the edge of a platform made of cobblestone, in a bustling station of tan brink and tall pillars, a glass ceiling hundreds of feet above my head.
I turned in place, unsure of where to go next. The signs were in Malovian, and I had no idea what direction the school was in. I glanced at my map again, but it didn’t help. I wasn’t very good at reading maps in high-stress situations, and this was one of them.
Without being conscious of it, I looked for someone to help me. My sight fell on a young girl around my age. She looked like a student. She was wearing an expression that seemed… I don’t know… confused. Her form was lithe, skinny and athletic. She was wearing an oversized, light-pink sweater that had fuzzy wisps coming off of it, along with pale skinny jeans and fur boots. Her blonde hair was almost pale-white, and she had these giant glasses on her face that extended from her cheeks to her forehead. They looked a little ridiculous and cute at the same time. Her makeup was done lightly, but professionally. She carried a duffel bag that was just as fluffy as her sweater.
The girl’s face lit up when she saw me. She ran toward me, hauling her fluffy bag. “You’re just the person I was looking for!”
“I was?” I asked, completely caught off guard.
“Yes!” she exclaimed excitedly. “I had a feeling I was waiting for something, or someone, but I didn’t know who or why, yet here you are and here I am!”
The girl let out a cheer and threw her arms around me, giving me a tight hug. I was shocked, but didn’t want to push away and be rude. The embrace was warm and friendly. I was frozen, and didn’t hug back.
“Sorry, I’m a hugger,” she said as she pulled away, giggling. “I just love meeting new people.”
“Have we… met before?” I asked. Otherwise, the hug would be weird— but this girl looked like she knew all about weird.
“Nope!” she sang. She stuck her hand out, grabbed mine, and shook it so frantically it yanked my body around. “I’m Odette Oksana. I’m a First Year at Arcanea University. Alicorn Faction.”
She showed me her palm. I briefly saw the mark of a hoof on her palm before she drew it away and started talking again. “I’ve never seen you around, so I assume you’re a freshman, too.”
Odette talked so fast I had trouble keeping up. It was like this girl was on a permanent sugar-rush.
“I’m Emma,” I managed to blurt out.
“Great!” I barely had time to get my name out before Odette started pulling on my arm. “Let’s go up to the school together! I know the way. I’m sure we’ll have lots to talk about! How did your summer go? Mine went fantastic.”
I hesitated. I was afraid of trusting Odette. After all, Gabby hadn’t exactly rolled out the welcome wagon.
But Odette seemed so nice and sincere— and a bit naive. It was like looking at a human version of a My Little Pony. I figured following her around would be better than making a fool of myself trying to navigate this city alone.
“Sure,” I said. “Lead the way.”
I wasn’t sure I had much of a choice, anyway, because Odette had already pulled me halfway across the station by this time. She practically skipped as she moved, and walked on her toes.
“Do you dance professionally or something?” I asked, noticing the way she moved. She walked upright and poised at all times, like she was in constant awareness of how her body moved. I knew the feeling, because figure skating required that, too.
“Oh, yes. Ballet,” Odette said. “I’ve been traveling with the Russians for awhile, but I gave that up to come to the University. Do you do arts or sports?”
That made my ears prick up. Dancing with the Russian ballet was insanely impressive. Odette had to be amazing. People trained for their entire lives and didn’t get in, and she had stopped that for Arcanea University. This had to be one special place.
Odette was peering at me, waiting for an answer to her former question. “Figure skating,” I belted out.
Odette squealed. “Oh, we’re so close, then! I like skating, but I was better at ballet, so I stuck with that instead. I bet you’re so beautiful on the ice!”
The minute we stepped outside the train station, my mouth dropped open. My entire world opened up to a brand-new universe.
The first thing I saw was some sort of half-bird, half-lion thing standing right in front of me. It had golden feathers, a large beak, and the back legs of a large cat, with two massive wings on its back.
I was walking too fast, and I ended up slamming into the creature. I was thrown backwards— the creature was nothing but muscle.
A griffin, I realized. They really did exist.
It was bigger than an actual lion. I was sure the thing was going to break my neck in two. A shiver of fear passed over me as the griffin turned its massive head at me. I was dinner, most likely.
The griffin I’d bumped into was eyeing me with piercing yellow eyes. I realized that I was looking at a person, not an animal, and swallowed. “I’m sorry. Excuse me. I didn’t mean to run into you.”
The griffin gave me a weird look and slunk out of the way. He probably thought I was some crazy person, looking at him like that. After all, this wasn’t a zoo.
I realized there were more of them standing outside the train station— a whole flock. The griffins were mostly white, brown, black and gray, although I did see an unusual mix of colors, like green or red. Some had the back legs of tigers, cheetahs, leopards or panthers instead of lions. It was hard not to gawk at them in amazement. I pardoned myself again and wove my way around the griffins as I ran after Odette, who was still gabbing.
I heard a massive roar that shook the cobblestones beneath my feet and looked up. There were dragons— literal dragons— flying through the skies. They were all different colors, scales glimmering like gemstones, some as small as a car and others as large as a building. The sun reflected off of their scales and shone in all different directions. They had horns, some straight and some curled, and spines along their backs with tails that ended in arrowheads. Each of the toes on their feet ended in knife-like claws. When they opened their mouths, I observed fangs that were as big as me.
Farther above, two dragons breathed literal fire at each other. I wasn’t sure if they were playing or having an argument. The fire-breathers descended, and once they approached the ground, changed back into flesh-and-bone men. It seemed like they were having an argument, because their voices grew louder as they passed. They yelled Malovian at each other and shook their fists.
“Well, come on, silly!” Odette said, yanking on me. “It’s like you’ve never seen a dragon before!”
I didn’t want to say that I hadn’t, so I put on a straight face and followed her through the crowd of people coming out of the train station. Most of them were students, like us— the semester started tomorrow, so I shouldn’t have been surprised.
I wasn’t quite sure what an alicorn was before I got here, but now that I saw them face to face, the best way I could describe them was unicorns with wings. Their coats were all the colors horses could be— gray, chestnut, bay, roan, dun, black, palomino, and about a million others. I think I saw a zebra one somewhere in the crowd. But their horns were curved slightly, not straight, and instead of horse tails they had oxen ones, and feathers around their hooves. Their horns seemed to be made of rare stones like diamonds, or some sort of precious metal. The alicorns glimmered as I walked by. I wasn’t sure what to be more impressed by— the beautiful horns or their wings. The alicorns ruffled their feathery appendages, snorting with impatience a
nd stomping their hooves as they waited for guests to arrive.
I shot Odette a smug glance. She said she was part of the alicorn Faction. Pretty winged horses fit her personality perfectly. I wondered who her special guy would be. Someone who had no problem dealing with sparkles and sunshine, I hoped.
Then I noticed them. The wolvens. There were so many. They stalked throughout the city with rolling shoulders and heads held high. Their coats were various shades of red, gray, black, silver, and white. Most of them were only as big as horses, though a few rivaled the size of the dragons above. Their coats were thick, lush and beautiful. I wanted to reach out and stroke my hands through their fur, though I was sure I wasn’t allowed.
On the backs of some of the wolvens were large, feathery wings that matched the colors of their pelts. A couple of wolvens gave a running start before they leapt into the skies, spreading their wings to take flight among the griffins, dragons, and alicorns.
I’d never seen wolves with wings before. I supposed that’s why they went by a different name. I realized that I was going to bond with one of them. I wasn’t a chicken shit by any means, but these wolves were huge… one bite could easily end my life.
Whatever. I’d already killed one of them, and thought nothing of it. If I had any problems with guys, I’d just blast a hole in them. Problem solved.
Some of the Companions had women on their backs. I could only presume they were mates. The Marked that rode the shifters flew through the air and walked through the city bravely, with determined faces or bright smiles.
They seemed so proud and carefree. I wanted to be like them, but doubted I could be.
Suddenly, the world Lady Magdalina told me about didn’t seem like a fairytale anymore. It was real. This wasn’t a dream.
We finally left the area outside the crowded station and entered the streets of Dolinska. Odette went on and on about ballet as I took in the sights around me. The beauty of Dolinska rivaled the streets of Paris, or Krakow. I hadn’t been to either, but I’d seen pictures, and this place was just as incredible. It was like walking into a movie. I wasn’t sure what was more amazing— the city, the shifters, or all the sorceresses casting incredible spells around me. The Marked made pretty butterflies appear, or doubled themselves so they had identical clones, or changed their hair and eye color with a wave of their hand. There was an explosion, and I looked over my shoulder to see that one Marked was making fireworks come out of her hand to the delight of the children around her feet.
I realized that someday, I was going to be able to do that, and my heart lifted. This was way bigger than anything I’d ever imagined. I was so glad that I’d made the choice to come here.
The city was packed with vendors and carts. Marked boasted about love potions, claiming they’d be able to find your mate within a week of consuming. Dragons sold scales for jewelry, while alicorns waved their horns and made new dresses appear on the Marked in front of them. Wolvens fought in a makeshift arena in the middle of the square, then shifted back to human form and started boxing as people made bets and cheered them on.
Nearby, someone had placed a stereo on the ground, and polka music blasted out of it, Marked danced with their Companions, who were both in human and animal form. Incredible smells met my nose, and my eyes widened as we passed a bakery that had the most delicious looking cakes and pastries I’d ever seen. We passed churches with jaw-dropping stained glass windows that had the designs of shifters held within. We walked by tiny street cafes that were packed with people, human and animal, looking to get a sip of espresso, or, as I noticed, colorful, sparkling drinks I’d never seen before.
“Spells,” Odette said, catching my look. She went to a cafe to purchase one. She brought back a purple drink in a tiny paper cup and sipped it. Odette giggled, and her feet elevated off the ground for five seconds or so. She floated toward me, coming back down with a hiccup.
“Bottoms up!” she said. She handed it to me.
I took a sip. My stomach went light for a moment before I fluttered a few inches off the ground and came back down. My stomach flipped. It was the weirdest experience of my life. My mood felt significantly elevated, and I felt more energized. The Arcanea had the best energy drinks ever created.
There was so much in this new world to explore. I wanted to soak in every moment of it.
“You must’ve not been in Dolinska for some time. You sure are walking slow,” Odette said pleasantly. “I don’t mind. It’s such a nice day, and you’re such a nice person. Isn’t it great to enjoy a walk with friends?”
I was still trying to figure out why she’d taken such a liking to me. I didn’t do much of anything except exist, breathe, and look interested when Odette talked to me.
There were a few cars on the street, but they were all designer sports cars. It looked like most of the people around here drove carriages pulled by Companions, or sometimes just regular horses. Odette stood at the edge of the street and looked for one.
“We could walk, but I’d prefer to take a carriage,” she said. “My bag’s getting rather heavy, and—”
There were loud screams. My head jerked to the side, and I screamed as a carriage came roaring into view. The horses pulling it seemed to have gone mad. They barreled through vendors and destroyed carts on their way through. Marked and Companions both scattered to get out of the way. The carriage was headed right this way!
I grabbed Odette and pulled her to safety as the covered carriage skidded to a stop on the curb where we’d been standing just moments before. The horses danced on the spot as someone yanked on the reins. I scrambled to get off the ground, helping Odette to her feet.
I looked up to see who’d nearly ran us over. It was another girl. She had pale skin, and straight black hair that was down to her waist, with a bright red streak going down the right side. Her outfit was the most unusual thing about her. She wore a black lace corset and long skirt, high-heeled, lace-up boots, long sleeves, fishnet stockings, and rings that looked like spider webs. She wore black nail polish, black lipstick, black eyeshadow. A black lace choker was tied around her neck.
She was a goth. I don’t think I had seen a goth since I was fourteen years old. I was still recovering from my mild heart attack when the girl spoke to me.
“Hey.” She tossed her long hair out of her eyes. “You need a ride?” she asked. She was breathless.
“Yes!” Odette said before I could say anything. She threw her duffel inside and climbed abroad. “Come on, Emma!”
I hesitated. This could end badly. I was pretty sure this girl wasn’t a real taxi driver. “I—”
“Bitch, get on!” the goth girl screamed, and she grabbed hold of my wrist and pulled me into the carriage as she laughed. She snapped the reins, and the horses took off running. I fell against the seat, onto another suitcase that wasn’t mine or Odette’s. Another student, like us. My own suitcase fell on top of me as the carriage jostled around. I heard more screams behind us, and the sound of hoofbeats and wings.
“Oh, no,” Odette said, frowning as she looked behind us. “It’s the Arcanea Alliance. Bother.”
I didn’t need an explanation to know they had to be the local law enforcement. “Can you explain to me why we’re running from the cops?” I shouted.
“Bobby Kowalski,” Goth Girl said, like the name was the only explanation we needed. “That dragon hasn’t left me alone all summer. I swear to the Seven Gods he wants to bond with me.”
She pointed to her mouth and made a gagging sound. “He still doesn’t realize that it’s not gonna happen. I stole his carriage and ended up crashing into another one trying to get away from him. Simple hit and run, my bad. They’ll probably add reckless driving too, if I get caught.”
“Who are you, exactly?” I asked. People on the streets jumped out of the way to avoid getting run over. The police behind us had to slow down in order to avoid hitting anyone. We were losing them.
“Irena Delmare,” she said quickly. “But I hate my first n
ame, so you’d better call me Delmare.”
“Point taken,” I said. “And you’re a…?”
“Dragon Faction,” Delmare breathed. “I like bad boys.”
She showed me her right hand quickly before returning it to the reins. On her palm, I saw the mark of a reptile footprint, with long claws.
I wasn’t surprised. Dragons seemed like they’d go hand in hand with her personality. She was destructive and loud. Didn’t mean that in a bad way— it meant she was fun.
“Dragons are so big and scary,” Odette said, and she shuddered. “Are you sure you can handle being bonded to one?”
Delmare snorted. “Dragons should be afraid of me.”
I smiled. I liked her.
“What about you?” Delmare asked. Odette looked at me in interest. I didn’t realize I hadn’t yet told them.
“Wolven.” I said the word like it was mine— like it was something I belonged to. With a start, I realized that it was. I belonged to the wolven Faction. They were mine, and I was theirs. If the mark on my hand was right, I was going to bond with a wolf. My future husband, my soulmate, was probably somewhere nearby, milling amongst the students at the University.
He could be anyone. Knowing that the person I was meant to be with was within the vicinity of the city made my palms sweat. I could meet him today. I wasn’t sure I was ready for this. I wasn’t even sure what bonding would be like. Would I lose my entire world, my sense of self, once I formed a bond with a complete stranger I’d never met? I wasn’t ready to sacrifice who I was for some guy. I never would be.
“Ah,” Delmare said. “Noted. Makes sense, with the standoffish personality.”
“I’m not standoffish!” I shouted.
“Temper, too. Goes with your red hair,” Delmare said. “Don’t worry. Doesn’t bother me much. Dragons are famous for that, too.”
