Fallen University: Year One

“For the most part?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Mm. Your core classes are all the same. Your more intense power-building classes, however, are speciali

zed to suit your individual needs. Of course, you won’t be taking those until the second semester.”

“Why not?” I asked, a note of disappointment creeping into my voice. Dammit. I’d love to build my power; hell, I’d love to find out exactly what all my new powers even were. Something useful should come out of all of this insanity. It seemed only fair.

Toland gave me a bland smile. “Basics first. History, social science, ethics. Basic magic and combat. We won’t be giving you the big guns until we know which direction you’re liable to point them.”

Okay, that made sense. It was irritating, but I could see where he was coming from.

He printed out our class schedules and handed them to us. I looked them over with a sense of familiarity. For as much as this place tried to be mysterious and supernatural, it was very human in the way that it worked—the class names might be a little different, but it looked a lot like my schedule at Seattle University had.

“Your dormitory assignments are on the back, along with a map of the school. You should go get settled in.” The headmaster started to rise, waving his hands to usher us out, then stopped suddenly. “Oh! Your handbooks.”

He pulled two thick, glossy handbooks off a shelf and handed one to each of us.

I blinked down at them, then back up at him. The handbook I clutched was so standardized I was actually surprised the cover didn’t feature a group of multi-racial demons laughing together on the grass under a tree.

Then again, I guess this isn’t really the kind of university that has to recruit students.

We have no other choice.

Chapter Five

“Looks like school won’t be starting for a week,” I said as we made our way, unescorted, down the hall.

“Great.” Hannah sighed.

“It is great. That’s a whole week of castle explorations. Plus, it gives us the chance to get to know some of these people before we’re stuck in classrooms with them all day.”

We found the stairs marked on the map and climbed them. The upstairs hall was quiet, and our feet echoed on the stone tiles. The heady erotic atmosphere was thinner up here, which was both good and bad. It was a relief to be able to think straight, but I found myself missing it—craving it—and picked up my pace a little, hurrying to find our room. We got lost twice but eventually found it.

Our room was tucked away in a little alcove overlooking the wild snowscape. It was the only room up here, though there were plenty of others lining the corridor that led away from the tower. A little bathroom sat across the hall from us, and I hoped it would stay at least a little bit private.

“Home, sweet home,” I said dryly as I let the heavy wooden door swing shut behind us. “God, it’s like a fucking convent.”

There was a small window on one side of the room which cast bleak light over two iron-framed beds and two identical, plain desks. Large wooden chests sat at the foot of each bed. A rough woven mat lay on the floor like a rug, and shelves were built into the stone walls. Incongruent laptops, barely newer than the one I’d left at home, sat on the desks.

“It’s fine,” Hannah said tiredly.

I looked at her sharply. “Are you all right?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine. I just… I’m tired. And…” She looked around the room and shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. “I just need some time.”

She had that hunted animal look again, and her energy was vibrating like spikes in the air. I’d never been particularly sensitive to auras before, but hers was wild and verging on being out of control. I stepped toward her to offer clumsy comfort, and her skin rippled like she was suppressing a wince. She needed to be alone.

“Well,” I said cheerfully, stepping away and straightening my shoulders. “I’m going to go explore the castle. If I find food, do you want something?”

She shook her head numbly but shot me a grateful look. “No, thanks. I’m fine.”

“Okay. See you in a while.”

I closed the door gently behind me and hesitated. A second later I heard her flop heavily onto a bed. A second after that, the soft sound of crying filtered through the thick wooden door. Part of me wanted to go back in there and try to cheer her up, to offer her some semblance of comfort; the other part told me to run very far away from the outburst. I chose the latter, more for her sake than mine. She really did seem like she needed a moment alone. And besides, I was terrible with stuff like this—I’d probably only make it worse.

I spent fifteen minutes trying to find a staircase and wished I had remembered to bring the map. Finally, I caught a whiff of that erotic darkness from earlier and made a beeline for it. Left, right, down a long hallway, left again. Ah! There! A staircase opened up at the end of the hall, and that lusty invisible cloud was rolling over the top step, guiding me down.

I don’t know if it was the sheer size of the place or that intoxicating aroma, but I was dizzy before I reached the bottom. I stopped when I reached the first floor, leaning heavily against the ornate old banister. As I breathed, the aroma changed. Within the vague cloud of misty eroticism, there was something else. Fire. My heart skipped a beat, and the dim corridor seemed to brighten. Sudden clarity charged me up, and I followed the thin river of fire.