8. Chapter 7
The last few hours of the train ride were peaceful.
She and Maeve would talk here and there, but mostly she spent it watching the scenery.
When they weren’t in the tunnels underground, they passed by varied landscapes from golden fields to crystal lakes to craggy mountains.
Travel between arcane lands could take time, given most were in remote areas to hide easier from the mundane.
Soon enough the scenery shifted from untouched nature to old limestone buildings making up the small City of Arcania lying at the foothills of the school.
The train neared a long stone bridge crossing the river that cut through the city to the campus.
Her face pressed against the glass to get a closer look.
Maeve’s raspberry-scented body spray wafted over as she leaned in as well.
The students’ chatter grew louder as they approached the school, the energy shifting from exhaustion to excitement in a matter of minutes.
Her body leaned forward as the train slowed into the platform at the base of the hill.
When they came to a complete stop, almost everyone in their cabin rose from their seats, stretching their limbs and grabbing their bags from overhead.
But Ivy was still focused on the school outside her window.
She couldn’t see much beyond the platform other than a handful of people with lanyards around their necks waiting outside the train for arrivals.
A large awning from the building on the other side stretched over the platform and tracks, presumably to protect the area from rain or snow.
Beyond the awning was a long, sloped walkway where a wrought-iron gate stood open.
A sharp pain stabbed her palm, and she winced. She glanced at the scar, but it was no different from before. Could whatever spell she and Briar cast that night recognize that she had arrived at the school?
“You good?” Maeve asked.
Ivy looked over, spotting her new friend’s concern in her curious expression, and she dropped her palm to her thigh. “Yeah, just a weird muscle spasm. Probably from staying still for too long.”
“I know, right?” Maeve yawned as she stretched her arms into the air before slipping her cardigan back on. “That train ride felt like it would never end.”
Students slowly filtered out of their cabins, allowing her and Maeve to finally collect their things.
Ivy took a deep breath of the warm, late-summer breeze that swept across them when they stepped out onto the platform.
An underlying crispness in the air promised that autumn weather would be approaching soon.
There were even some trees on the outskirts with yellow and red-tipped leaves.
She grabbed her suitcase from the attendant and waited until Maeve got hers before walking up the slope to the gate.
“I can’t believe we’re finally here,” Maeve squealed.
“Me too.” Though Ivy could only focus on the gate ahead. It was dead center in a long, weathered stone wall with two large pillars on either side of the gate, with iron plaques and emblems of the school’s crest on them.
No. No. Door. Red door.
The words replayed in the back of her mind.
It was a warning of some kind, but of what?
Why didn’t her mother want her to come here?
It clearly wasn’t this door she was warned about.
But if the red door existed, where would it be?
Or, God forbid, there be more than one. She shook her head as if to shove the thought out of her brain.
She couldn’t think about it today, not when she’d barely been on campus for over ten minutes.
The path widened into a small courtyard beyond the gate.
Small, two-story, stone buildings hugged the corners to the north, with a short covered gallery connecting them over the path leading to the rest of campus, whose much taller buildings peaked over the slate roofs ahead.
As they neared the center, there was a compass rose embedded in the stone.
The words The Wayfarer's Courtyard were engraved along the edges of the design.
Smaller paths jutted off to the left and right, with a post fixed in the grass showing which way was which, with Arcania Hall straight ahead.
A wide grin stretched across Ivy’s face as they followed the rest of the students beneath the gallery.
Farther down the path was a huge U-shaped building, whose three towers soared high above them.
The weathered stone had patches of greenery climbing its walls, framing some of the sun-reflecting windows.
Large cobalt-blue-and-silver banners hung on either side of the grand oak wooden doors, which were propped open to allow students to filter in and out, and beds of beautiful scarlet roses and violet salvias lined the bottom of the walls.
“Oh my…” Maeve sighed dreamily.
Ivy was at a loss for words as they continued toward the building.
Small blue and white lilac trees lined the path, and farther in the grass were giant maple trees towering over groups of people who sat beneath them.
Probably older students or those who have already registered, judging by most of them wearing shirts with the school’s name on their chests.
The path expanded into a wide courtyard that stretched between the building, showcasing a large bronze statue of three figures in its center.
From the bit she did read of the catalog, beyond course descriptions, the statue was of the school’s founders, Prym and Renault Arcania.
Prym stood with her back against Renault’s, with one hand clutching a stack of books to her chest while the other held a miniature celestial sphere.
Renault had his hands spread out, palms facing one another as if he were casting a spell.
“Welcome, new students!” Someone shouted out ahead by the door. A woman in a light gray t-shirt with Arcania written across the chest in cobalt blue and a lanyard around her neck, waving them all inside. “Find the table with your last initial to get your room assignments and orientation packet!”
They stepped into a wide entryway with intricate dark blue geometric patterns in the stone flooring.
The walls had a line of oil-painted portraits of the founders and, what she assumed, the original faculty.
In the center were wide oak doors and within its delicately carved tympanum arches was a bronze plaque inscribed with the word Auditorium.
On either side of the doors, several long, foldable tables with printed pages with ranges of the alphabet hung from the edges. Ivy and Maeve moved toward the first two tables—Maeve being at the first with Amerie-Scott being her last name, and Ivy getting in line at the second.
Ivy looked around her as she waited in line, trying to take everything in all at once.
Wide staircases were at each end of the hall, leading to the next floor with great, intricately carved arched tracery windows with multi-colored stained glass.
Her magic tugged at her, pulling her attention back to the entrance in time for him to amble through.
She rolled her eyes as he studied her with an irritating smirk and forced herself to turn back to the table.
Her magic protested for a moment before fading.
But it didn’t go away entirely. It was as if her magic was aware of his presence.
It was strange. Her magic hadn’t reacted that way to anyone else before. What was it about him?
Whatever it was, she hated it.
“Next!” one of the table attendants called out.
Ivy stepped forward, smiling at the person at the table.
“Name?”
“Heartwell, Ivy.”
They flipped through the pages on their clipboard, then crossed off her name.
“You’re in student apartment 7 on the third floor, room B, in Embry Hall,” the attendant said, pulling out a packet from below the desk and writing the information on it, and slipping a manual brass key inside.
“The key will unlock the door. We recommend setting a custom magical lock once you’re settled.
Embry is about a five-minute walk west from here, but there’s a map inside if you get lost. Our official orientation is tomorrow, starting at 10 a.m. with an address from Dean Wren in the auditorium to your right.
There’s also a schedule of events, a list of student organizations, and a map of where everything will be located inside the packet as well.
Welcome to Arcania Academy. We hope you have a magical first year! ”
“Thanks,” Ivy said, smiling and taking the packet before leaving the line to find Maeve waiting along the wall.
“Where’d you get placed?” she asked.
Ivy peeked at her envelope, already forgetting everything the person had told her. “Uh, third-floor apartment 7 in Embry Hall.”
“Are you serious?” Maeve’s eyes widened, and her mouth stretched into a bright smile. “We’re roommates!”
“Oh, thank God.” Ivy laughed tiredly. “I’m so glad I don’t have to meet more new people today.”
Maeve giggled. “Come on, let’s go find our new place!”
They strolled through the western part of campus, passing by stretches of manicured lawns and bushes, tall trees that would change to autumnal shades within a month, and beds of beautiful flowers.
Much like the courtyard near Arcania Hall, many students reunited on the grounds to catch up before the semester started later in the week, while the newcomers frantically dashed to their new homes.
Iron street lamps dotted the walkways, some with small school banners hanging from the sides and others with directional signs pointing at the different schools of magical studies and the east- or west-facing student apartments.
Soon enough they came upon two quads of simple stone buildings, some clearly newer than others, each with three floors.
They weren’t decked with fancy columns or carved pieces, and there were basic single-hung windows spaced evenly on each side.
Judging by the small posters, the curtains, the pride flags, and the other decor draped along the inside windows, these buildings must be student housing.
“According to the map,” Maeve said, straightening the brochure against the breeze. “Embry Hall will be in the group of buildings on the right, between the School of Intellect and the School of Warfare.”
They navigated to the point on the map until they found the building with a silver placard stating Embry Hall.
The inside was understated, with plain cream-white walls that held photos of the college through the years, a student bulletin board with a few posters already hung, oak flooring that creaked beneath their movement, and a double-wide staircase leading to the next floor.
As they followed the flow of traffic, they passed a student lounge complete with a large box television and plenty of worn-in seating, a study area with several desks, chairs, and a few bookcases, and a laundry room.
Instead of waiting in line for the elevator, they took the stairs. By the time they reached the third floor, she was panting for her next breath. Lugging a stuffed suitcase up three flights of stairs was not for the weak.
Ivy yanked on her suitcase with a heavy clunk. “We…should’ve waited for…the elevator.”
“Or at least had smaller luggage,” Maeve groaned, pulling her suitcase from the last step and adjusting her duffel bag over her shoulder.
The same cream-white painted the walls, but the floor had an old dark-blue carpet instead of hardwood.
They walked until they reached the door with a silver number 7 on it.
Balancing Lou on top of her suitcase, Ivy pulled the key out of the envelope and slid it into the lock.
Inside was a simple apartment with dark wood wainscoting and plain walls, a worn blue couch and armchair with a basic oak coffee table and bookcase to the right.
A two-seater dining table was in the center of the room, leaving some space between that and the small kitchenette along the wall, which had a window overlooking the complex’s courtyard.
To the left was the bathroom, and room A was on the right, and filling in nearly every empty spot were piles of boxes.
“I might have sent a little more than necessary.” Maeve chuckled.
“Me too.” Ivy moved farther into the room, testing out the couch—lumpy, but comfortable—before getting back up. “If we’re going to be here for four years, may as well make it feel like home, right?”
“Now, just to unpack it all.” Maeve moved to the door on the left, near the kitchen. “Looks like this one is mine.”
Ivy opened the door on the right, which was embellished with the letter B. Inside was a desk and chair, a tall set of drawers, a small nightstand, and a queen bed tucked in the corner with a window over the oak headboard. She placed Lou on the desk.
“Hopefully, I can find you a new pot soon,” she whispered. She let the protective spell drop from around the plant. He didn’t look too worse for wear, thankfully, and he stretched his fronds as she brushed her hands over them.
She turned back to the bed where a gray T-shirt, sweatshirt, and sweatpants were folded in a neat pile on the mattress. A small smile came to her when she noticed each piece of clothing had either the school crest or the name scrawled across it.
It was official. She was a student at Arcania Academy.