CHAPTER 8
Aelys
I'm woken by someone shaking my shoulders and my eyes open slowly, meeting Mattheo's.
“We've arrived,” he informs me in a monotonous voice.
I nod and stretch, my back creaking and I wince in discomfort.
Not the best idea to sleep sitting up against someone.
He turns and heads for the compartment door. I get up and follow him. I can't risk losing him or any of the others since I don't know where to go. The group is outside the train, chatting happily. They smile at us, and Nancy links her arm with mine.
“You'll meet the girls in the main hall. You'll love them!”
“You already said it,” I laugh. “I'm sure it will be, Nance.”
My attention turns to the boys. Mattheo and Enzo are in front of us, talking together, while Arthur, Theo, Cameron and Tom are behind us, arguing about rugby. The Academy's official sport.
We walk for a long time before reaching the monastery.
I can't believe my eyes when I see how big it is. A building in the center overlooks several smaller ones. Since all the students are heading toward the largest one, I deduce that it’s the main hall my cousin told me about.
From what she told me, it houses a room where students and teachers gather for meals but also for meetings held by Principal O'Connor.
There are also restrooms scattered throughout the building, a huge bathroom reserved for delegates, and a large common room for factions.
I vaguely glimpsed the other buildings she told me about: the one reserved for the boys' dormitories, the one reserved for the girls', and the one housing the classrooms. I didn't see the one with the teachers' private quarters, but I assume it's a little separated from the others so that the adults have some privacy.
We reach the main hall and a woman wearing a dark emerald dress and a large black hat greets us. She introduces herself as Professor Hicks and asks me to follow her. She looks exactly like what you'd expect a witch to look like.
What a cliché...
Nancy lets go of my arm and waves at me as I follow the older witch.
“We need to make sure which faction you belong to, dear.”
I nod and she gestures for me to sit on a stool. She picks up an old dagger and approaches me. She motions for me to extend my hand, and I do so, frowning nervously.
What is she going to do with that?
I gasp in pain as she cuts my palm and quickly pours my blood into a cup that looks like it's made of silver. My eyes widen as a murmur rises from my blood and reaches my ears.
“Ah, another Hewloc. Cousins... Ah, yes, I see your lineage is interesting.
Very interesting indeed. A warlock and a shapeshifter, isn't it? Oh, yes, I sense the shapeshifter blood running through your veins as well as the warlock blood... Where shall I place you? In the shapeshifter faction or the warlock faction? Hm, a difficult choice…”
My breath catches. Shapeshifter blood? No. It's impossible. My mother was a witch, like my father. I'm almost certain of it... I jump when the whispering starts again, bringing me back to reality.
“Oh, you weren't aware of your heritage. I see... It would be best for you to be placed in the wizarding faction, where you are familiar with magic.”
I realize that everyone has heard the last sentence when the students and teachers begin to applaud.
I stand up, slightly shaky, and head towards the table Professor Hicks indicates, which I assume is the wizarding table.
I spot Nancy and the others and hurry over to join them.
She smiles brightly and officially welcomes me to the wizarding class.
“We need to ask our head teacher, Professor Stevens, for your dorm number. With any luck, you'll be my roommate!”
I nod, smiling, until I remember that I'm to be married to Mattheo, the Dark Mage's son, we have to share a room at Leroi Manor.
Will we be sharing one here too? I hope not.
Having a dorm with Nancy would mean peace and freedom while we stay here.
Besides, Mattheo probably already has a roommate.
Surely they weren't going to kick the poor guy out of his dorm so I could take his place. Right?
My irises land on the brunette I'm engaged to and I swallow nervously at the sight of the devilish smile that stretches his full lips.
I snap back to reality at the sight of the food appearing before us and the realization how hungry I am. I fill my plate and Nancy takes over the conversation, moaning about schedules she hopes will be less hectic than last year.
A thought suddenly makes me frown and I interrupt my cousin in her tirade.
“Did you say that Professor Stevens was in charge of the wizarding faction?”
She blinks, surprised to have been interrupted in her monologue but thankfully not offended since she nods briskly. “Yes, why?”
I shrug before explaining my thoughts. “From Mrs. Hicks’s clothing choice, I thought she was the one in charge of the wizards.”
The group sniggers and it's Cameron who answers me this time. “Don't let Hicks' cliché witch look fool you. She's a shapeshifter. A jaguar, to be precise.”
My eyebrows raise in surprise. A shapeshifter?
I ask if she's the one running their faction, and all my new friends nod in agreement. I thank them and make a mental note to go see her as soon as possible to question her about the words my blood whispered into the silver cup earlier.
Once we're done eating, the group stands up and I follow. I wander behind the others, trying to memorize the route. Until a hand lands on my shoulder and I jump. Arthur laughs at my reaction before raising his hands innocently.
“It's just me, my little lady.”
“You scared me, you idiot!”
I punch him lightly in the chest and he huffs, pretending to be hurt. He lowers his voice and looks around, making sure the others can't hear us.
“What was that on the train?”
“What are you talking about?” I frown, confused.
“You know what I'm talking about,” he rolls his eyes. “What happened between you two?”
My eyes widen when I realize he's talking about Mattheo holding my hand and I shrug.
“Nothing. We had our assignments yesterday and I assured him I wouldn't need his help. We haven't spoken beyond that.”
“So he just went from a huge asshole to a nice guy overnight?” He raises an eyebrow, a doubtful pout tugging at his lips.
“Well, Tom told him to leave me alone. Like you tried to tell him the other day.” I add, shrugging my shoulders again.
“Wait, Tom talked to him? And he just listened? That's weird. Be careful, Aelys. If you need anything, I'm here. Even if you just want to complain about my idiot cousin.” He smiles and I laugh, nodding my head.
“Thank you, Arthur.”
We arrive in front of the two dormitory buildings, the one on our left obviously the boys' one while the one on the right seems to be the girls' one.
We stop and I'm about to ask the others where I can find Professor Stevens, but a blond boy cuts me off as he approaches us, his eyes fixed on me and a charming smile on his lips.
“You must be Aelys Hewloc, the new girl, right?”
“Yes?”
I reply politely, holding back a grimace at the lustful glint in his eyes as he eyes me up. I remind myself that I'm not alone, knowing full well that Mattheo must be watching this exchange very closely, along with everyone else in the group.
“Pryce Payne, but you can call me whatever you want, babe!”
He winks at me and this time I don't hold back my grimace of disgust.
I see Nancy roll her eyes as she pretends to throw up, and I try not to laugh. I suddenly feel a hand grab my arm, and I'm pulled back. Mattheo steps in front of me and crosses his arms over his chest, glaring at Pryce. I stiffen, unsure of what to expect.
“What do you want, Payne?” He grunts, his bicep muscles tensing further.
The blond one takes a step back, clearly scared. He swallows, his eyes flicking from Mattheo to me.
“Stevens asked me to show her dorm, that's all…”
Mattheo raises an unimpressed eyebrow and snorts disdainfully. “Did he, now?”
“What- he- he did, I swear!” He exclaims, his panic growing in intensity.
Uncrossing his arms, Mattheo takes a threatening step forward, causing Pryce to recoil again and tremble in fear.
“It's funny, you see, I already know where her dorm is. So why would he tell you, huh?”
“I-”
“You were just trying to find out which dorm was hers, weren't you? You could have just asked, Payne.” Mattheo clicks his tongue in warning as he cuts him off.
I frown. What kind of game is he playing ? Pryce's face lights up, and that's when I realize he's an idiot. Completely stupid.
Can't he hear the venom and sarcasm in Mattheo's voice? Mattheo takes another step forward, towering over the blond boy with his tall stature and dark aura. He finally seems to realize that Mattheo isn't friendly at all, and he turns pale.
“Her dormitory is number 206, building G.”
I'm even more confused than I was two minutes ago. Did he really just give him my dorm number? Pryce is now as white as a ghost, his shaking seems uncontrollable, his eyes filled with terror.
I glance over at Nancy, who's now standing with two girls, a brunette and a blonde.
Probably Kiara and Paula, the shifters she told me about.
Their mouths are open in shock and their eyes wide.
My cousin gives me the look that says 'we seriously need to talk and you're going to tell me absolutely everything', and my confusion grows at her reaction even though I know the conversation is inevitable.
I have to tell her about my engagement to Mattheo after all.
“But it's-”
“My dorm, yes.” Mattheo cuts him off again with a cold voice, a devilish smile on his lips.
Pryce swallows and shakes his head. I frown even more and look at Tom and Arthur. They nod, letting me know that this is indeed Mattheo's dorm number. Tom looks pissed and Arthur looks confused, but not really surprised.
Me? I'm lost. Pryce tries to apologize, but Mattheo cuts him off by punching him in the nose. A loud crack echoes through the room, letting us know his nose is broken. He falls unconscious to the floor, and Mattheo spits in his face.
He grabs my arm abruptly and leads me roughly towards the building on the left.
Of course. Building G is for 'boys'. The one on the right must be building F for 'girls'.
I glance at Nancy to let her know I'll see her later, and she nods. Mattheo enters the building and takes the right-hand corridor before hurrying to a door with the number '206' and his name in golden letters on it.
He practically throws me into the room, slamming the door hard behind us. He casts a spell to soundproof the room. As for me, I freeze as he begins to pace aggressively across the room, his fingers gripping his curls angrily.
“Fuck!” He screams and punches the lamp on the desk. It flies against the wall, shattering on impact, and I flinch. Hard. Tears start to roll down my cheeks and I feel my body tremble. My eyes don't leave his, following his every move. He scares me.
“You better stay away from that fucking bastard, you hear me?” He spits.
I'm too scared to move or speak. Not responding only angers him further, in two strides he’s with me, he wraps his hand around my throat and slams me against the door. I moan in pain, the sound muffled by his grip on my windpipe as my back ache from the impact against the hardwood.
He squeezes tightly, depriving me of more and more oxygen. My hands grip his wrist, trying to force him to let go, but to no avail. He's too strong and too blinded by his anger. His eyes are black, the warm brown they usually sport completely gone.
“I said I wanted you to stay away from Payne. Is that clear, Aelys?” He asks through gritted teeth, his jaw ticking.
I try to speak, to tell him I understand and that I'll stay away from him, but he's squeezing my throat too tightly.
Black spots begin to appear in front of my eyes, and I feel myself starting to lose consciousness.
I see him realize what he's doing, and he abruptly lets go of me, dropping me to the ground like a rag doll.
My vision is blurry as I start to cough.
Sleep. I want to sleep.
The last thing I hear as my eyes roll to the back of my head and I lose consciousness is him calling my name.