Chapter Five #3
And then she was gone, striding down the corridor with the click of boot heels on polished stone, not sparing him another glance.
She didn’t have to. She could feel his glower burning holes in her back and gods it felt good.
Room 5 sat at the end of a curved stone corridor, the number carved into the wall above the doorframe and glowing a faint blue.
Cassara paused for a breath, her palm still tingling from the warmth of the Aether Codex tucked under her arm.
The rest of the first-years lingered somewhere behind her, still caught in dinner and conversation.
She reached out to grasp the handle and heard the door unlock with a whisper of shifting wards.
Inside, the dormitory was dimly lit, no voices, just quiet stillness and the subtle pulse of magelight threading through the blackstone walls.
The room itself curved gently inward, shaped like a crescent around a sunken common space scattered with mismatched seating: a battered armchair, some floor cushions, and a crooked-legged table already scuffed with old cup rings and scratched initials.
Her gaze swept across the room.
Five small alcoves and within each a bed and a trunk at its base and a small writing desk set back into the wall. Each space was preassigned, the meager shelves neatly stacked with folded uniforms, basic supplies, all of it carrying the faint scent of fresh polish and spell-cleansed wool.
Cassara’s trunk sat before the far-left alcove, the crest of House Allencourt gleaming faintly beneath a layer of transport dust.
She turned slowly, taking in the small space with more scrutiny—the cramped arc of it, the hard simplicity of the furnishings.
Her own bedroom at home was larger than this entire dorm.
There, she’d had silk curtains and scented oil lamps, a view of the gardens and her own private bathing chamber carved from imported jade.
Now? Five girls. One room. One bathroom.
Gods.
She was going to have to share a sink.
She set her Codex down on the desk beside her bed and let out a sharp breath through her nose.
At least it was clean.
She brushed the curtain of her bed aside, and ran a hand along the raised mattress. Firm but not uncomfortable. She noted the shelves inside, just enough space for her Codex, a journal, a book or two. It offered privacy, but not seclusion.
The scent of oak and polished iron hung in the air, mingling with the faint residual magic of climate control. It was warm here, despite the high altitude. Cozy in a rustic sort of way, if you squinted.
Still alone, she took a few moments to inspect the communal shelf, noting a crooked teapot and a trio of mismatched mugs: one with a chip, one stained, one shaped like a snarling beast’s head. The faintest smile tugged at her mouth.
It wasn’t exactly a palace, but it wasn’t a prison either.
The quiet didn’t last.
Footsteps echoed outside, multiple pairs, and the hum of conversation approached like a rising tide.
Cassara moved back to the center of the room and turned towards the door just as Sonia swept into the room, followed closely by Evie.
"Well, this is lovely," Sonia said, gaze sweeping over the walls, nose wrinkling in disgust, acting as though she'd stepped in something unpleasant. "I hope the showers are enchanted. I'd rather not catch something."
Evie dropped her bag onto her assigned bed with a thump. "At least it's clean."
Sonia scoffed. "Low bar, Olivette. Dangerously low." She set her satchel down with more force than necessary, eyes flicking from Cassara to the rest of the room. “Well, at least we know who’s slumming it together.”
Evie turned toward Cassara and smiled. “Honestly, I’m glad it’s you. I was worried I’d end up stuck with a bunch of strangers.”
Cassara offered a slight nod, though she wasn’t certain Sonia was who she would have picked given the choice. “Likewise.”
The door creaked again drawing all of their attention. This time it was Liri who stepped inside, her oversized bag balanced in her arms and her Codex dangling precariously between her fingers. Her eyes widened when she saw them. “Oh! This is… us?”
Cassara’s expression shifted, uncertain. She hadn’t expected the girl to be in her dorm, in fact, she hadn’t even considered it a possibility. “Apparently.”
Sonia’s smile sharpened. “You again.”
Liri blinked. “Me?”
“From the platform,” Sonia said, voice dipped in honey and vinegar. “You nearly flattened her, didn’t you? Or was it your luggage?”
Cassara stepped forward before Liri could answer. “It was neither.”
Evie gave Liri a once-over, less out of judgement and more out of curiosity. “You’re the one who was looking for the beast token, right?”
Liri nodded and held out her hand in greeting. “Liri Halvorsen.”
Cassara tilted her head slightly taking in the girl’s flushed cheeks and the rapid rise and fall of her chest. Had she been running? “You look… flustered.”
“Oh, well, I got lost,” Liri admitted with a sheepish grin. “Took a wrong turn near the aerial wing and ended up in an alchemy lab. Pretty sure I’m cursed now.”
Before they could say more, the door opened one final time and a tall girl stepped through without a word.
Her skin was deep brown, eyes dark and sharp behind a sweep of black curls tied low at the nape of her neck.
She took one look around the room, noted each of them with a calm, unreadable glance, then moved to the farthest alcove.
“Name’s Talia,” she said flatly. “Don’t snore. Don’t touch my stuff. We’ll get along fine.”
Without another word she climbed into her bunk and pulled the curtain half-closed behind her.
Sonia rolled her eyes. “Charming.”
Cassara watched her for a long moment. No flourish, no posturing, just a blunt straightforwardness that Cassara could respect.
Interesting.
Evie made a soft hmm as she settled near the central table where Liri was unpacking her satchel. “Well. I guess that makes five.”
Cassara didn't respond. She let her gaze sweep the cramped space one final time. Five girls, one room, and already enough tension to last the term.
It was going to be a long year.