by Laney Powell
“All of what?” I asked.
Margiana pulled the car off the road onto a small shoulder next to a rock outcropping. “This isn’t the way we normally travel.”
Cornelius was out of the car even faster than he’d run from my dad. “Finally,” he said.
“Get your bags,” Margiana said.
“Okay,” I said, getting out and grabbing them from the open trunk. “Now what?”
Cornelius darted out toward the road. “Clear,” he called over his shoulder.
“Stand with me,” Margiana said.
Cornelius came back over, waving his hands in a less dramatic manner than he had in the car. The car faded away.
As my mouth fell open, Margiana made a circle with her hand. A light gold circle glowed in the air in front of us, and as she continued to circle her hand, the gold became stronger.
There was something in the circle.
Cornelius was beside us, and as the picture in the circle grew darker, he darted into the circle.
“Wait!” I shouted. “Holy shit, what is that?”
Margiana grabbed my arm, holding me back. “It’s a portal,” she said. “It allows us to move easily from place to place.”
“When do I get one of those?” I breathed. The possibilities were endless.
“Not until you finish school, at the very least,” Margiana muttered. “Then you have a probationary period.”
“Is this magic driving?” I asked.
“I suppose. Let’s go,” she walked to the circle, and turned to me. “Come on. I have to close it, but I can’t until you get through.”
My heart pounding, because honestly, what the fuck? I took one step, then another, and another, and I was through the circle.
“Don’t just stand there,” Margiana groused.
I stumbled a little, trying to get out of her way, but lost my balance with the bags.
Cornelius was practically hopping with impatience. “Stop dawdling,” he said. “We need to see the Headmistress.”
“It’s going to be fine,” Margiana murmured to me as she passed.
I followed, looking around. The walls were stone, and dark, but it wasn’t scary. There were torches, or some kind of light along the top.
There were pictures as well, but we were walking too quickly for me to see them. I was so busy trying to take it all in I bumped into Margiana.
“Sorry,” I said.
“Stop,” Cornelius hissed. He knocked at a large wooden door, one that had to be at least ten feet tall, large and square and imposing.
“Come in,” a woman’s voice said.
Cornelius turned the large dark iron knob and pushed the door open, which moved easily for such a large door.
“Madame Perpetua,” he said, and damn if he didn’t incline his head like we were meeting the queen or something.
“Cornelius. Margiana. What have you brought? I received your message, and am pleased to meet with you, although this is most irregular.”
I looked at Madame Perpetua then. She sat behind a desk, her hands clasped in front of her. Even though it was dark, she wore large, black wraparound sunglasses. Her hair was pulled up into a colorful wrap, and it looked like she had dreadlocks, although I couldn’t tell because there wasn’t a bright light to be found in this room.
“Come here,” Madame Perpetua said, and I knew she was talking to me.
I set my bags down and took a few steps closer to the desk. Margiana and Cornelius moved aside to let me pass.
Madame Perpetua stood then, and I could hear something scraping against the wooden floor. That was weird. She moved, and it wasn’t like walking, but more like a swaying. She eased out from behind the desk, the scraping sound intensifying, and the swaying more pronounced.
My mouth fell open.
Madame Perpetua had the upper body of a woman, but from the waist down, she was a snake. A really big snake. Like, coil around you and choke you to death kind of snake.
Fuck. I closed my mouth, hoping she hadn’t seen me.
“You are?” she asked, her voice deep, with a hypnotic, rhythmic tone.
“Raven Nox,” I said.
“And she is?” The bright wrap turned to Margiana.
“Siren,” Margiana said.
“Class?” Madame Perpetua said.
“Not sure. She’s undocumented, and didn’t know of her heritage until we spoke with her.”
“Really?” The wrap and the sunglasses turned to me again. “You had no idea?”
“I drove off a jetty, and I didn’t die,” I said. That wasn’t what I meant to say, but it came out.
“Why did you do that?”
“The water called me,” I said honestly. I didn’t want to say that either, but it didn’t seem possible to say anything else. What was it with this woman?
“Hmmm,” Madame Perpetua said. “That is interesting. Where are the parents?” She looked at Cornelius.
“Father is human. Mother, presumably siren, was not available.”
“Did she die?” The sunglasses were on me again.
“I don’t know. She disappeared when I was little. My dad looked for her for ten years. He doesn’t think she’s dead.” Well, fuck. I really didn’t mean to say that, and what business was it of snakey Madame Perpetua’s anyway?
What the fuck was going on here?
“Hmmm,” Madame Perpetua said again. “Makes sense.”
“Not to me,” I said.
“It will,” Madame Perpetua said. “Well, thank you, Cornelius, Margiana. I shall take it from here.”
Both Margiana and Cornelius inclined their heads again, like we were in front of royalty, and left the room. Margiana paused to pat my shoulder. “Good luck, Raven,” she said. She leaned in. “If I find anything about… you know… I’ll let you know.”
I nodded, not sure what she was talking about. Then it hit me. She’d been intrigued by the story of my mother. So she’d be looking into it? I met her eyes, and nodded again. That was one thing I wanted, no matter what happened with this school business. To find out more about my mom. Then the weird pair were gone, the door closing with a soft click behind them. Leaving me with the snake woman who got more out of me than anyone had in years.
“Welcome to the Academy of the Underworld, Miss Nox. Let’s get you settled, shall we?”
And with that, Madame Perpetua slithered from the room.
I followed her.
“Close the door please,” she said over her shoulder.
I did as she requested, hurrying a bit to keep up with her. How the hell was she so fast?
“Now where to put you, Miss Nox?” Madame Perpetua stopped abruptly.
At least I didn’t run into her.
Her gaze moved over me, and I felt stripped to the bone, bare before her. Even with those dark as night sunglasses on.
As she continued to study me, I started to feel… uneasy.
What was coming next?
Chapter Four
I think it was because she didn’t speak. She just looked. And Madame Perpetua had quite the look.
“Why do you wear sunglasses?” I blurted out.
“Because if I did not, and you looked me in the eye, you would turn to stone. This is for your protection, as well as mine,” she replied, completely unfazed by my question, not even slowing down.
“Like Medusa?” I gasped. “I read about her in a class years ago.”
“Medusa was my aunt,” Madame Perpetua said calmly. “Not everything you read is true. Well, I believe I know where you will be an… interesting fit.” With that, she turned and began to slither forward.
“What does that mean? An interesting fit? Is that Academy speak for getting my ass kicked in varied and interesting manners?” I asked.
Madame Perpetua made a sound that might have been a laugh if it hadn’t sounded so strangled.
I was amazed that with all that happened, I wasn’t in complete freak out mode. Time for that later, I supposed.
“
No. I place my students together in ways that I think will bring out their strengths, teach them to work with others. I don’t know anything about you, Miss Nox,” the sunglasses turned to me.
It was hard not to shudder when I knew what lurked behind those glasses. “Normally, I’m able to speak with the families, and we have some idea of the history of the students, of the family line. You, Miss Nox, are a mystery.”
“Sorry,” I snapped, feeling a bit put out.
“Don’t get offended,” Madame Perpetua said. “I quite enjoy mysteries. At my age, you know, I don’t get to see many of them anymore. So it will take a bit more time to sort you out. Until then, however, I want you to be somewhere that—” her words were cut off by the appearance of a guy coming around the corner in a hurry, head down, with his hands in his pockets.
Even in the low light of the hallway, I could see that his hair was silvery blond, and fell into his face on one side. His eyes were dark, and right now, being surprised by the headmistress, irritated. Quickly, that irritation faded. “Madame Perpetua. I’m surprised to see you out this late. I’m—”
She cut him off. “People usually are, Mr. Calpurnicus. What are you doing out this late? All students need to be in their rooms, as well you know.”
His head drooped a little, and I saw a flash of anger in his eyes as he looked at me, the interloper who got to see the headmistress riding his ass. If he hadn’t been glaring, he would be completely hot. Like, stop-in-your-tracks-and-stare hot.
His skin was fair, which is why his eyes, which were dark grey rather than brown or black as I’d originally thought, looked so dark. He had full, red lips that at the moment were thin and rather annoyed looking.
Which didn’t take away from their fullness. They were what my friends and I in high school called ‘kiss me’ lips.
“I needed some air,” he said.
“Well, then it’s fortuitous that we should meet,” Madame Perpetua ignored his anger just as she’d ignored mine. It must be a gift or something. “You’re the first person to meet Raven Nox, who is the newest student here at the Academy.”
There was silence.
Madame Perpetua’s sunglasses bore down on the blond boy—man, really.
His frown twitched on his lips, and he stuck out his hand. “Devin Calpurnicus,” he said.
I took it, and I felt a flash of—electricity? Attraction? For sure, attraction. Something. Something big. Holy shit. This guy—my hand warmed as my mind went blank, and I could feel my cheeks warming. I hoped they weren’t bright red. Maybe the shadows in the hall would hide them. My whole body felt flushed at the touch of this guy’s hand. He was… amazing. And I wanted alone time with him right now. “Raven Nox,” I said.
“Just as Madame Perpetua said,” Devin drawled, dropping my hand. “Nice to meet you. See you around. Good night, Madame,” he said.
“Go back to your room, Devin,” she replied.
He stalked off, his anger making him taller. After he turned a corner, and I felt the heat in my face and the rest of my body subside—how the fuck did the guy do that, when he wasn’t anything other than rude as hell—Madame Perpetua continued on.
“Devin is a necromancer, and that is one of the arts that is quite unique.”
“How so?” I asked.
“Take me, for instance, Miss Nox,” she said. I recognized the tone of a teacher. Great. “I am a Gorgon, and what you see is pretty much what you get. I am part snake, my hair is made of snakes, and I can turn you to stone. There is not a lot of mystery there. You yourself are a siren, and once we discover what class you are, you will have an idea of what sort of power you possess, and your range of skills. But necromancers are different. They have an affinity for the difficult, the challenging, the darker corners of magic. And every one of them is different. It’s quite a task, to teach a group of them.” She nodded to herself.
“I bet,” I said, not sure what to say.
“Ah, here we are.” She stopped in front of a door. “This will be your room. You don’t have any roommates at the moment, although you will. Go in, take the empty bed, and get settled. I shall send someone for you in the morning. They’ll get you to the right place.”
“Okay,” I said.
“Goodnight, Miss Nox. And once again, welcome to the Academy,” said Madame Perpetua. “Try not to sleep in too late. We get an early start.” With the slightest scraping of her scales against the stone, she was gone.
And I was alone in a strange school with no idea what was going to happen next.
How the fuck had this happened?
I stepped inside.
While the corridor we’d been walking down had been dark, stone lined, and kind of creepy in a romance-novel-about-to-go-bad kind of way, this room was cozy, and warm. There were two good sized beds on either side of the far wall. Closest to the door, there were two overstuffed armchairs in front of a fireplace, which had a roaring fire.
The crackling of the fire and the warmth of the room made me realize how tired I was. I’d been running on adrenaline, or fear, or both ever since Margiana and Cornelius had hauled me out of the water.
I sank into a chair, and closed my eyes. In the space of less than a day, I’d left everything I knew and come to a place where I didn’t know shit, to put it bluntly. How long I sat in front of the fire, I didn’t know, but eventually I got up and explored the room.
I had a desk and a chest of drawers on my side of the room, in addition to the bed. Madame Perpetua said I didn’t have a roommate yet, but that I would. Since I was here first, I took the one on the left. I opened the drawers, and surprise, surprise, they were already full.
Okay, I wasn’t really surprised. After all, this place was run by magic, right? Made sense that you’d already have clothes.
But on inspection, the clothes were… well, they weren’t what I’d choose. Dark gray pants that would be called ‘trousers’, black socks, black Doc Martin’s knock offs, a white shirt, and a sweater. Not just any sweater, either. A pullover sweater. If I had a grandfather, this is the sort of thing he’d wear.
Fabulous.
I preferred jeans, a tee shirt, and my leather jacket, but the message was clear.
“Where am I supposed to go tomorrow?” I asked the room, not really expecting an answer.
It didn’t. The only thing that was making noise was the fire. Thankfully, there was a bathroom attached to this room, so I took the hottest shower known to man. I hadn’t showered since I’d gone off the jetty—was it only this morning? Yesterday morning? This morning. It was only this morning. I’d gotten into a fight with my dad, gone for a ride, and my entire life changed.
I dug through the bags I’d brought, and found my oldest, comfiest, rattiest pajamas. There was a faint smell of home—grease, spices, and the lavender detergent I used. It brought tears to my eyes.
How had this happened?
I thought back to what I’d seen when I went off the jetty. I’d seen my mother’s face. But unlike the picture I had of her, she wasn’t looking at me with love. Her expression in the water was concern, and fear. She’d been trying to speak.
She’d also apparently been a siren. I put her picture next to my bed. And then, shaking my head, I crawled into bed. There was so much to take in, so much to try and sort out—I couldn’t focus anymore. Madame Perpetua said that someone would be by to get me going, or whatever it was I was supposed to do tomorrow.
I’d manage this all tomorrow. Right now, I was going to sleep, and I wasn’t going to think about a damn thing. Even if it was just for one night.
Closing my eyes, I let my mind go blank, and drifted off to sleep with the soft crackling of the fireplace.
When I woke, my eyes flew open. The room was dark, although I could see a thin line of orange from a fire.
A fire in my bedroom? What the hell?
Yesterday rushed back to me.
I wasn’t at home anymore. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to get home again. I’d been d
ragged off to a magical school run by a woman with hair snakes and the biggest sunglasses on the planet. Who had a snake lower body. And who was sending someone to get me today, and take me around the school. At least, I hoped that was what was going to happen.
I got up, and got myself together. It made me nervous, but I put on one of the uniforms I’d found in my drawers. I’d just finished patting at my hair, and checking my makeup for the millionth time when there was a knock at the door.
When I opened it, a girl my age, with light brown, riotously curly hair smiled. “Hi. Are you Raven?”
“Yes,” I said.
Her smile broadened. “I’m Nicola. Madame Perpetua sent me to be your tour guide today. You ready?”
I nodded. “Tell me there’s some kind of breakfast. I’m starving.”
“That’s where we’re headed. Then we have class for most of the day.”
I followed her out into the corridor. Unlike last night, there were people moving through it, and it didn’t seem so dark, or even remotely creepy. There were skylights occasionally, showing a bright, sunny day outside.
Nicola smiled and nodded at the people we passed, both men and women. Most of them seemed to be my age.
“How old are people here?” I blurted out.
Nicola looked over at me. “What?” She had a tiny line between her eyes when she frowned.
“Is this like a high school, or more like a college?” I tried to be more specific.
“Oh, I understand what you’re asking. This is more like a college, or university.”
“Even though we’re all so dangerous?” The conversation between Margiana and Cornelius came back to me, and honestly, stung a little.
“You’ve already heard?” Nicola asked.
“What are you?” I responded with a question. “Because apparently, I’m so dangerous as a siren that I had to be dragged here immediately.”
“I’m a siren,” Nicola said slowly. “That’s probably why Madame Perpetua asked me to help you. Who is your family?”
“My mother was Sonia Nox, but Dad and I didn’t know that she was a siren. She disappeared when I was little. We never were able to find out what happened to her.” I stopped, feeling a deep sadness I hadn’t felt in years. Mom being gone was just part of daily life—understood, known, and something I didn’t focus on. Even when I cried at the beach—it was different.
