Chapter 9
Aric
“ARIC!” CALLS LEO, HIS VOICE echoing across the runeball field behind me.
I whip around, still running, to find the arcane sphere hurtling toward me, shining with a glistening layer of ice.
It’s windy today, and a strong gust sends the sphere off course.
So I push my legs harder, sprinting to get into position to send it to Mona, who’s running parallel to me on the other side of the field.
As I run, I hold out one hand, calling on my fire magic.
I have an earth magic affinity, but unfortunately, it doesn’t often come in handy on the field; air, water, and fire reign in runeball.
Which is one of the reasons Morgan, with her fire affinity, is such a difficult opponent to best on the field.
But this year, I’m determined to take Morgan and her Sigil Strikers down.
The fire I call into my palm is small, but I don’t need it to be too powerful.
Just before the icy sphere comes into range, I hit it with a burst of flame, melting the ice, which allows me to catch the sphere in my arms, cradling it against my stomach as I resume running.
It’s wet and a bit slick, but nothing like it would’ve been if I’d tried to catch it while it was still covered in ice.
Across the field from me, Mona takes off. She might be small, but she’s fast, and when we need someone to slip through our opponents and send the arcane sphere through the goalposts, she’s usually the one we turn to.
I give her a signal, flashing her a hand sign with two fingers held up.
She nods and pushes herself faster, lengthening the distance between us on the field.
When she’s in position, I slow my pace just enough to drop the sphere and kick it, sending it arcing through the cloudy sky—and right into Mona’s waiting arms. She sprints the rest of the way, and our team cheers behind us as she carries the sphere to victory and does a dance between the goalposts.
We all clap, and then I wave to my teammates, yelling, “Bring it in!”
My team, Hexrush, circles up around me. We’re all sweaty and breathing hard, and Leo’s floppy dark hair is pointing out in all directions as he scrubs his face with his sleeve.
“This new play might be tricky to pull off in game,” I say, “but if we can slip the sphere past our opponents and get it to Mona, she’ll be able to carry it the rest of the way—but offense, make sure you run interference.
” I exchange looks with two of my forward players, and they nod, still fighting to catch their breath.
“With Morgan leading the Strikers, she’ll likely lean heavily on her fire magic.
So make sure you always know where the runes are, and send that sphere through frigus or blast it with water magic to keep the flames in check.
If we let the fire run away with us, they’ll start scoring, and that’s the last thing we want.
So practice your water and frost magic for Saturday. All right?”
A rumble of affirmations goes around the circle.
“Good. Hexrush on three. One, two, three—”
“Hexrush!” they all cheer.
“Practice adjourned. Get out of here. You’re all a sweaty mess.”
There’s a round of laughter, and then all my teammates—save for Leo—head off to grab their gear and hopefully take a bath.
Leo helps me gather up our team’s practice gear, and once the field is clean and ready for another team to practice, we sling our exercise bags over our shoulders and head back toward the castle.
As we walk, a memory from last year drifts into my mind.
I remember being out here in the snow, finding Maeve and her roommates fooling around on the runeball field right before finals our first semester.
And I remember Poppy running after the arcane sphere, only to slip in the slush and go tumbling into the snow.
When I hurried over to help her, I found her cloak covered in snow, her cheeks red, and her glasses askew on her face, the frames smudged with snowmelt.
And I remember now how cute she was in that moment. But as soon as I pulled her to her feet, she was gone, wanting to go back to her dorm to dry off and warm up.
Why didn’t I think about her again after that?
And how did I forget who she was despite seeing her in my cooking class every Friday?
Maybe it’s just because my head is always in the clouds, or maybe because I assumed a brilliant, studious witch like Poppy Waverly would have no interest in an orc who’s about to get kicked off his runeball team—and maybe have to repeat his senior year.
A shudder rolls through me at the thought. I’m ready to get out of the academy, ready to start my life away from the castle’s walls. What I’ll do with my life, though, is still a mystery, even to me. It’s one of those things that keeps me up at night, chasing sleep away when I need it most.
“Yo, hello?” Leo bumps me with his shoulder, but it barely gets me to budge. “You on planet orc or what?”
I shove his shoulder, sending him stumbling. “I sometimes forget what a dick you are.”
Leo pushes his mop of sweaty hair off his forehead and jogs to resume his place walking beside me.
Our lightweight shoes are quiet on the cobbles, and I tip my head up to look at the trees dotted around the grounds.
They’re starting to turn autumn colors: red and orange and a yellow so bright I can almost swear the leaves are made of gold.
They’ll start falling soon, blanketing the campus until the groundskeeper rakes them away.
“Where’s your head at? I’ve been talking at you for the past three minutes.”
Damn. I had no idea. “Sorry. Thinking about my tutoring this weekend.”
Leo lights up. “With Maeve? Can I come?”
I shoot him a sharp look. “Do I need to push you again?”
He holds up his hands in mock surrender, and I sigh.
“No and no. Not with Maeve. Poppy is tutoring me now, remember?”
“Poppy?” Leo fumbles around in his exercise bag for something and comes up victorious with a green apple sticky pop held in his hand. He has such a strong sweet tooth, it can make my stomach turn. Leo puts the sticky pop into his mouth and tilts his head. “Don’t remember you mentioning a Poppy.”
Didn’t I? Maybe not. Maybe it was my roommate, Felex, that I told about Poppy.
I’m not sure I want to go through the whole thing again. Leo’s just fixated on Maeve; if he knows she’s not the one trying to tutor me anymore, he’ll lose interest before that sticky pop turns his mouth green.
Right on cue, a second-year witch from the Black Cats—a female-only runeball team, and they’re fierce on the field—walks by. She smiles at Leo, completely distracting him, and he immediately veers away from me, calling back, “See ya!” as he scurries to catch up with her.
Now I’m alone, and I’m grateful for it.
I climb the stairs to the castle and enter through the towering double doors, stepping into the grand entrance hall, with its marble floor, painted ceiling, and brightly glimmering chandelier casting light from overhead.
The air smells of fresh-baked bread, french onion soup, and roasted asparagus.
My mouth waters, and my stomach lets out a grumble.
First I need to take a bath, and then I can let myself feast.
AFTER DINNER, I RETURN TO my dorm room feeling ten pounds heavier. The food they serve here is way better than what my dad and stepmom make at home—though not for lack of trying; they’re just a hazard in the kitchen. It’s one of the reasons I learned how to cook.
I slowly climb the stairs to my room in the east tower, already yawning and wanting to collapse into bed. Tomorrow’s Friday, which is always cause for celebration. But also, I have my cooking elective on Fridays. The class Poppy is in with me.
And now I’m thinking about her again, all the way up the spiraling stone staircase to room ET27.
When I step into the room, I find it empty, though Felex started a fire in the hearth before he left.
Since our first year rooming together, he’s been a night wanderer, much to the headmistress’s frustration.
But keeping half vampires cooped up while the moon is awake is no easy feat—she’s brought him back here in the middle of the night more times than I can count.
Now I mostly sleep through the ruckus when it happens.
I kick my shoes off and immediately go collapse on the couch.
Felex and I have one of the smaller dorm rooms, so it’s just the two of us, while other students, like Maeve and Poppy, get assigned the suites, with more space but twice the number of roommates.
I’m happy it’s just us. Felex is quiet, but he’s a solid guy, and I feel like I can talk to him about anything.
Whether or not he talks back, though, depends on the day.
Sometimes I just talk at him, but that’s cool too.
The fire flickers, and I yawn. If I don’t get up, I’m gonna fall asleep, and I always wake up stiff when I sleep on the couch.
So, with a grunt, I push myself up and head toward my bed, peeling my long-sleeved tunic off as I go.
I ball the fabric up and sling it on top of the pile of other dirty laundry I’ve yet to wash this week.
I think it can wait until Sunday, my usual laundry day.
I’m just about to strip out of my loose trousers when a subtle silver glow catches my eye.
The light seeps out from around the cracks in my desk drawer.
I walk over and open the drawer, and there’s Ma’s silver clan ring, glowing softly in the dark. Picking it up, I turn it between my fingers, admiring the perfect glow.
And once again, I’m thinking about Poppy.
With a jolt, I remember we had an agreement: She’ll help me with my classwork, and I’ll help her with planning Professor Silvermoon’s ball.
Poppy didn’t mention anything about it during our tutoring session on Tuesday, but was she thinking it?
Does she think I’m gonna flake out or not uphold my side of the agreement?
I’m not going to let that happen.
So even though I’m tired and about to fall into a food coma, I grab a piece of slightly crumpled parchment from my desk drawer and sit down in the chair.
Using the glow from my mom’s ring, I start jotting ideas onto the parchment.
Theme: Moons . . . ?
Location: The academy? Somewhere else?
Food and Drink: Ask Poppy
Entertainment: Musicians, something else not lame (maybe diviners?)
I sit back and stare at what I’ve written. It’s pretty terrible. But it’s a start. I yawn so hard that my eyes get blurry. My need for sleep is making my brain a bit fuzzy. I’ll talk more with Poppy in class tomorrow.
I slip the parchment into my bookbag so I won’t forget it tomorrow morning, when I’ll undoubtedly roll out of bed and stumble my sleepy ass to class. Then I grab Ma’s silver ring and collapse into bed, groaning as I finally rest my tired muscles.
And I fall asleep with the ring clenched in my fist, its light shining softly through the spaces between my fingers.