by Viola Grace
“I do. It is in my pack.”
“Well, get it out and I will seal it to you. It is best to do it right away. Folks tend to lose them, and it costs a fortune to replace them.”
Imara fished around in her welcome envelop and pulled out the two-by-one inch card. “Got it.”
“Great. Give me your wrist.” Bara plucked the card from her fingers and took her left wrist. With a bit of pressure and some muttered words, the card sealed itself to Imara’s skin. It became as flexible as a tattoo but only visible when the light skimmed across it.
Bara smiled. “I specialise in bio-manipulation magic. If you take any shifter courses, let me know. Now, come this way. You are the only confirmed booking this year, so it will be just us in the entire hall.”
“Why?”
“It isn’t the most prestigious, and Magus Reegar was an insane genius who is said to haunt this hall.”
Imara followed her own personal RA up the steps and down the hall to the rooms. “That is probably why they suggested it to me. I have met a specter or two in my life.”
“Really? How many?”
“Two hundred and thirty-four, give or take.” She hauled her bag along after her and looked at the plain, uninspired decoration. It was as if someone had forced the building to be bland.
Bara paused and looked back. “That is a weird coincidence.”
“Not really. I knew about the haunting and the price was right. One was an enticement and the other wouldn’t scare me off. Guess which was which.” She grinned and hoisted her bag up next to her.
Bara waved her arms. “You have your pick of any of the rooms. It will key to you and your familiar when it arrives.”
Imara paused. “My familiar?”
“Yes. Your registration indicated that you were taking the Soul Casting course. A familiar is a requirement.” Bara frowned. “You do have one, don’t you?”
Imara felt her heart sink. She had looked forward to taking that course. “No.”
“I am sure you can work something out. The practical part of the course is a few weeks in.” Bara reached out and patted her arm.
Imara looked down the hall and took a deep breath. She let her instinct be her guide, and she gripped her suitcase. With a slow exhalation, she sent the luggage down the halls on its wheels. It careened from side to side, twisting and rolling to a stop in front of the door on the left at the end of the hall.
Bara nodded approvingly. “That is a good choice. It has windows that open if you are doing any light spell work.”
Imara walked to her new door and pressed her hand against the door handle. It fought her for a moment before it opened, and she looked at her new domain.
The luggage rolled inside as if it knew home when it saw it. Imara turned to Bara. “I suppose I am home.”
Bara nodded. “Please. Settle in. I will be on the main floor if you want a tour.”
Imara gave her a short smile. “I will be down in a few minutes. This won’t take long.”
The door swung closed in Bara’s face. Apparently, the hall wanted her to settle in as well.
Imara looked around and sighed. The décor was bland, but it was neat and clean. The bed was a double, covered with white sheets, a polar fleece blanket and fluffed pillows.
The bookshelf was empty, and the desk was plain but pristine. The chair had four legs instead of rollers, and the floor was smooth cement.
She needed a small carpet. That much was certain.
Imara opened her luggage and put her books on the shelf. Her clothing was all foldable, and it slid into the dresser next to her closet without any trouble. There was plenty of room to hide a body in the empty drawers.
“Wow, this is better than I thought.”
“Thank you, I do try, but I am restricted by the college from doing anything else.” A man walked through her wall. His clothing gave no hint as to his date of death, but his vibe was definitely that of the dead.
She smiled tightly. “Magus Reegar, I presume?”
“Yes. You are the new student.”
“I am. Imara Mirrin.”
He extended his hand. “That is not your full name.”
“No, but you can call me Imra.” She placed her hand next to his and let him close the gap between them.
The peculiar cool touch of a ghost was augmented by the crackle of active magic. That wasn’t right.
She flexed her fingers when he withdrew his hand. “You are not a standard ghost.”
He grinned, his mustache turned up with his lips and the slicked-back hair gleamed in the light streaming in through the window. He almost appeared solid. There was only the hint of translucence through his grey wool suit.
“You are correct. I died in this building by another’s hand.”
“So, your power came with you.”
He chuckled. “I knew you would be a good fit here. You have the run of the building.”
“Excellent. Please don’t come in without knocking. I am a woman living alone, and I don’t need to worry about warding myself from nocturnal specters.”
“I was expecting a little more trepidation.”
She chuckled. “It takes more than a magical man without a body to creep me out. I am here to learn and get an education that I can work with.”
She watched his dark features as he eyed her up and down. She took in the clothing from another era that wasn’t quite at odds with contemporary garb. He had been a sharp dresser, and even the creases in his trousers had made it into the afterlife.
“You are here because it is inexpensive, but I trusted my instincts when you applied for residency here. I did nothing to interfere with the application. They might have called me mad, but aside from one day where I didn’t trust my own judgement and ended up haunting my own hall, I have always gone with my instincts. I will offer you what help I can, but you are right. You are here to study. I will respect that and make sure to knock. Welcome to Reegar Hall.”
He disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared, leaving Imara alone in her room.
“That was interesting. He even had an audio presence. That was definitely different.”
Talking to herself was par for the course. It didn’t matter who was around, but there was usually something or someone listening.
Her stomach growled loudly, and she grinned. It was time to put it to rest.
Brunch was left on her agenda, and then, she was heading to the bookstore. Half her books were online, but the other half were beginner enchantment books.
Coffee and books were in her future. That much was certain.
Chapter Three
Bara was an excellent hostess, and she seemed exceptionally happy to have another body in the building.
“How many folks can fit in Reegar Hall?”
“Fifty. He only accepts the ones that he thinks will do credit to the hall.”
Imara grinned. “Which is us.”
“Precisely. Cappucino?”
“Three is usually my limit, but sure.” Imara watched as her companion fired up the machine once again.
The outfitting of the study area was incredible. The true passion of Magus Reegar was displayed in the in-house library and snack bar.
The bagel had stopped the gnawing hunger; the fruit salad had given her a burst of energy. Now on her fourth coffee, she was going to be able to head straight to the bookstore to get the last of her supplies.
Bara sat across from her again. “So, what are you going to do about the familiar?”
“Can’t I just get a pet?”
The coughing and spluttering that Bara engaged in was enough of an answer.
Imara sipped at her drink. “Not a good idea?”
“Not unless you want to explode a bunch before you find one that can hold all your power. That is what the familiars do. They act as a repository to keep your essentials safe while the rest of you is playing with spells.”
Bara wrinkled her nose. “See the dean of students. He can look into your fami
ly lines to see if you have any familiars available.”
Imara leaned forward. “Family lines?”
“Sure. At some point, most mage families have made familiars for their children. Or, they have had them made.”
“Damn. Well, I guess I am going to have to drop a class before I even get started.” Imara heaved a deep sigh. “That sucks.”
“Seriously, check with the dean. He has all the records for each student.” Bara bit into a muffin and looked up in surprise when a loud knock sounded. “Whaff vah hew?”
“Should I get it?”
The RA swallowed hard and shook her head. “Nope. This is why I get to live here and get a stipend. I will be right back.”
Bara brushed her fingers on her jeans as she crossed the room and headed for the hallway leading to the front door.
The expression on her face could only be called bemused when Bara returned with a blue-tinged man trailing after her.
“Uh, Imara, it is for you.”
The man was carrying a briefcase, and he looked at her intently as he approached. “Miss Mirrin?”
She got to her feet to greet him. “Yes.”
“I am Yringar Mornwalker, dean of students.”
“Oh. That is funny. Bara was just saying that I should speak with you.” She extended her hand.
The prickle of cold ran up her arm as he returned the greeting.
“Ms. Wilmington, may we have the room please? I have a great deal to discuss with Ms. Mirrin, and I believe discretion is paramount.”
“Of course. I will wait outside the door in case Magus Reegar authorized anyone else this year and didn’t mention it.”
Bara smiled and flicked some of her red tresses over one shoulder. She headed for the hallway, and Imara was alone with a strange, blue man.
He smiled tightly and took the spot in the comfortable chair, swamping it with his size.
Imara couldn’t help but stare. “You are... not human?”
He grinned. “I am supposing that you have not met many extra-naturals in your life. I am a mixed-heritage frost giant. Now, I am here to discuss your inheritance.”
“My what?”
“Your mother’s family has set aside some funds for you, as well as books and a familiar.”
Imara blinked. “I couldn’t be that lucky. What familiar?”
“It has been in the Deepford-Smythe family for generations. Twenty generations to be precise. To be honest, I was shocked when I received that letter this morning. It took some doing to find your pedigree, but now that we have it, you are going to reap the full benefit of your connections.”
He popped the clasps on the briefcase and opened it, pulling out a sheaf of papers four inches thick and studded with file folders and tabs.
“First, as you are an Unknown, we will go over your family histories and attachments. When that has been settled, we will get into your inheritances. You have several that have been given to you based on your mother’s side of the family. They didn’t have much money, but they did have power. The histories are now yours to go over at your leisure. I am sorry I took so long, but there were a lot of documents to copy.”
He handed her the first folder and smiled. “You know your status?”
Imara held the file that she had dreamed of since she was a teen. “Yes. I know that I was the extra in a contract bond. My brothers remained with my father, but there was no need for a daughter. I was sent to Sakenta and raised by the state and a family trust. My situation was to remain unknown to family until I became an adult. I was also considered to be unlucky.”
“Only by your father’s family. In your mother’s notes to you, you were the lucky one. You were born seventh as the child of two seventh children. You are exceptionally lucky.”
He fished out a folded sheet of paper. “Here is your family tree. You will need it for genealogy courses.”
Imara’s mind was whirling as she got family histories, lists of local relatives and an appointment card to meet with the Master of Familiars on campus. He would set her up with a link to her family beast.
She was hungry again by the time he was finished, but getting her familiar now took precedence to her belly.
“There are a lot of masters on the campus.”
He smiled brightly and chuffed a laugh. “There are. We can’t have folks being taught by just anyone. Everyone working as an instructor here is a master in his or her field. Thamus is the Master of Familiars. He teaches the higher levels how to create their own familiars. He also manages the inherited-familiar program.”
“Right. Where do I go for that?”
“I will take you there. I believe you have enough to absorb for one day.” He nodded. “Keep the appointment card to present to Thamus. He is a stickler for formalities.”
She looked at the mountain of documents. “May I take this too my room before we go?”
“Certainly, but you do not need to remain here. There is a stipend allocated for your residence here at the college. It will fit you into a more... suitable location.”
Imara looked around. “I like it here. It suits me. As long as my familiar is content with the space, I won’t have anything to complain about.”
“Are you sure?”
Magus Reegar floated into the room. “She said it suits her, Yringar. Leave her be.”
The dean tensed. “I didn’t know you were strong enough to skulk around here, Reegar.”
Magus Reegar was nearly opaque as he approached them. “Ms. Mirrin gives off all kinds of energy. Forming something visible is child’s play in comparison to what I am now capable of, just with a few hours of her under my roof.”
The dean looked ill. “You are feeding from her?”
Imara held up a hand to forestall the conversation. “I give off waves that are useful for the disembodied. I am looking forward to learning shielding techniques. I can still power Reegar if he asks after I can put a cork in the fountain, but until then, he can hold conversations like a normal person and even read a book if he so chooses.”
She got to her feet with her armloads of paperwork. “I will be right back.”
Her desk received the paperwork without even shuddering, which was a miracle given how flimsy it had seemed on first inspection.
She clutched the card with the details of her familiar assignment and returned to the lounge.
Reegar was in the stacks of books and looking for his favourites.
She smiled at the giant who was waiting for her. “I am ready to go now.”
“Good. I will take the time on the journey to ask you about your family name and why you don’t use it.”
She smirked. “Good luck with that.”
They walked out of Reegar Hall, side by side. The walks were filling with new students and returning seniors. Whatever the other pedestrians were, they gave the dean a wide berth.
“Sir, if I may ask, why are you working at the human magic college?”
He smiled. “My people skills.”
“I am guessing you don’t have to use them often.”
“No, but they are available when the need arises.”
She grinned. They passed the main administration building and turned down toward a path leading to large, wide structures and open fields.
“So, Ms. Mirrin, why don’t you use your family name?”
“Ah, well, that is just because my mother’s family name gave me too much trouble when I was young and my father’s family didn’t want me. I chose my mother’s first name as my last because it seemed that she was the first person in my life who wanted anything to do with me. She made sure that I was given to a good institution in Sakenta, and they raised me with an eye to my future. Unfortunately, my family name made them treat me with odd attention. The Smythe name was on the front of the boarding school and nursery after all.”
“So, when did you change it?”
“When I was changing from junior high to high school. I changed my name and had them set me in as a new stud
ent from out of the city. I changed boarding homes as well and started over.”
“They allowed this?”
“Of course. I was an excellent student and a credit to the contract breeding that the Deepford-Smythes engage in. They want me to be successful, so they are paying the bills for the most part.”
He nodded. “I read that in the letter. Your Great Aunt is very proud of the work you have done to send yourself to college, but she has decided it is time for the family to truly step in.”
“I was given to believe they were broke.”
“They are, but there are family discounts to be had. There was a trust for you that wasn’t activated because of the name change. That is being rectified as we speak.”
“Excellent. More money means more courses.”
“Oh, your courses are all complements of the college. The Depford of Depford College is one of your ancestors on your mother’s side.” He shrugged slightly. “It is all in the files.”
She rubbed her forehead. “This is all a little much.”
“Don’t worry. Your familiar will be able to relieve some of that pressure.” He chuckled. “Here we are.”
They paused in front of a large blue barn painted with containment glyphs on every eave and every peak. It did, indeed, look like the right place. Whatever was conjured in that building would stay there unless it was deliberately set free.
She clutched the card with her familiar information and stepped up to the wide, black, double doors.
“Here is where I leave you. Simply hand the card to the first mage who asks you your business. They will handle it from there.”
Without another word, the dean of students turned on his heel and left her at the base of the steps. It didn’t fill her with enthusiasm for what came next, but if she had to, she had to.
Chapter Four
Standing in the foyer, she could see hundreds of containment glyphs covering the walls. They were slightly different from the ones used at the repository for the dead, but the theme was the same. Nothing gets out.
A young woman with glasses that had slid to the tip of her nose looked up with a smile. “May I help you?”
