Chapter 3
In the Great Hall of the castle, The Headmasters of Vaukore stood side by side, in complimentary black and silver velvet robes, stars and swirls of light shooting across the fabric.
Headmaster Elgin smiled at the group of huddled new Witches and Wizards who eagerly awaited their Court placement at Vaukore.
Headmaster Rowan, who was twenty years her junior, face was unreadable.
That was the blank expression he wore most days.
His dirty blonde hair swept his shoulders.
A large black iron caldron sat on a stand before them, deep shades of green, violet, and sapphire smoke bubbling over its edge and slinking to the floor of the Great Hall like silk.
The ancient Magic of Vaukore resonated off that holy cauldron, which held too much power over the state of young minds. It’s choice for her Court placements had nearly wrecked her two years ago.
Carved in stone above the Headmasters was Filii Magicae Numquam Soli.
Children of Magic Are Never Alone.
The vow by King Primus that all Magical beings were welcome there, and a modern reminder to students.
Behind the Headmasters were three massive stained glass windows that represented Vaukore and it’s original Courts of King Primus.
Each window vaulted upwards, coming together at a sharp point.
At the center, a mix of grays and blacks and white depicted the silhouette of the Vaukore castle, surrounded by clouds and a starry night sky.
The Three Courts surrounded it. Maeve stared at the stunning emerald and silver stained glass of the far window and the serpent running through it, its fangs proudly poised to kill.
The Court of Serpentine should have been her Court at Vaukore. It had been the home of every single Sinclair Witch and Wizard for centuries, save for Maeve, who was placed in The Court of Volaticus.
The window for Volaticus was made up of sapphire panes scattered to create a burst of light, and on either side, two bright white feathered wings spread mightily open.
Maeve had been devastated when she was placed in Volaticus, and not Serpentine. She glanced over to where Abraxas sat. His emerald tie was hung loosely around his neck. Malachite next to him smirked at something he said. Abraxas practically worshiped Malachite, a fact which Maeve despised.
One by one, the new students reached their shaking, excited and nervous hands into the cauldron. The swirling smoke would designate their placement as it changed to one single color. Some took longer than others. Some barely had to dip a finger in for their results.
Maeve had merely laid a hand on the brim of the cauldron for its decision. Sapphire blue swirls of night cascaded to her feet as panic flooded her skin.
She cried when she was deprived of her place in Serpentine.
She cried in secret for weeks actually, terrified of losing her father’s affection.
Though, to anyone that knew the brilliant Ambrose Sinclair, they knew he was secretly elated and not at all surprised when his youngest daughter wound up in The Court of Volaticus.
Some Sinclair secrets run old.
A strawberry blonde haired boy’s eyes grew wide as his smoke turned bright violet: The Court of Draconem.
He looked up at the amethyst and lavender stained glass window that rose high into the vaulted ceiling.
It’s symbol the dragon. The creature had its wings tucked tightly, a long tail snaking around its body and its head held proudly high.
At once, it sprung to life in the panes, giving a large flap of its wings and a quick breath of bright violet fire.
The boy’s black tie around his neck turned a deep purple and gold. The lining of his dark blazer and the hemline of his pants now had a dark violet thread line running through them. A Draconem embroidered emblem appeared stitched on his blazer. He gave Rowan and Elgin a respectful nod.
Maeve’s Father, who taught Defensive Magic and Vaukore before his time training the Bellator, the Supremes which made up the Magical Militia and Law, and eventually commanding them, told her that the Cauldron’s magic was not concerned with our worldly labels, but rather with the Magic inside each student that waited patiently to be explored.
Magic most freshly eighteen-year-olds were far from aware of.
Ambrose said that thousand of years ago, in the dawn of Magic, the ancient magic of that Cauldron had been used by King Primus himself to place Magicals in the respective places in his kingdom.
After all the new students were placed, dinner was served. The tables filled with overflowing trays of meats and sweets. Tradition stated that the old King’s feast included all of his courts and lasted long into the witching hour. Unfortunately for the students of Vaukore curfew was ten o’clock.
She assisted The Head Girl in guiding the students placed in Volaticus back to their dorm on the east wing of the castle.
“Right,” said Lavinia Robert’s rounding on them.
“I’m Head Girl of the whole school.” Her Irish accent was thick and musical.
“Maeve is Volaticus Paragon. Which means we’re in charge.
” Lavinia held her hands up. “Yes, there is a Head Boy. No, you do not have to listen to him. There are also two other Paragons.” She paused and scrunched her nose.
“Only one of them you gotta listen to, but oh well.”
Maeve suppressed a smile and shook her head. Even Lavinia wasn’t immune to Mal’s natural power.
“I’ll let Maeve take the lead. She knows a lot of useless information about the castle.”
Maeve frowned. Lavinia grinned and gestured ahead. She ignored her comment and told the new Volaticus students all about the castle’s history, the Magicals that one inhabited this realm, and even stopped to talk to some of her favorite paintings and tapestries.
Most of their faces were wonderstruck. She reminded herself that most of them didn’t grow up with Magic like this. Simple Magic maybe. But not like Vaukore. Not like Sinclair Estates.
“Hello, Maeve.”
A short blonde girl stepped towards her and extended her hand. Maeve shook it.
“You got in,” said Maeve.
“Just as you said I would.”
The girl smiled.
“Good,” said Maeve. “And congrats on Volaticus.”
“The King’s Court.”
Maeve nodded. Vaukore was built upon a dynasty from a thousand years ago. Traditions were hard to break.
“In Primary School, you spoke so assuredly that you would be in Serpentine.”
Her words slammed into Maeve. She hadn’t meant them as an insult, but they hurt all the same.
“I was.”
The girl’s smiled faltered slightly. “I’m sorry-”
Maeve held up her hand and recited the speech she had perfected about not caring that she was the first Sinclair since Merlin that was not to be placed in Serpentine Court.
That she looked better in blue than emerald anyway.
That she hadn’t cried at all when she was deprived of her place in Serpentine.
And that most certainly she was not terrified of losing her father’s affection over it.
Maeve’s schedule was as planned: jam packed with every class possible. First thing in the morning was Alchemy with Professor Hummingdor. Which was perfect, seeing as Maeve wanted to ask him about extra lessons as soon as possible.
She made her way down from her dorm room into a gorgeously ornate part of the castle filled with books, white marble statues, and sapphire blue velvet furniture with gold trim.
Maeve’s own chambers at Sinclair Estates had been modeled after it.
The lavish rugs and velvet embroidered material suited her style.
The Court of Volaticus resided here in the East Wing, and it was Maeve’s favorite part of Vaukore Castle.
And it was the closest to the Library.
“Good summer, Maeve?” Lavinia Roberts asked.
Lavinia was one of two Head students, known for their vigor and sense of responsibility.
The Head Boy and Girl held the highest rank of students at Vaukore, and were handpicked by the Headmasters in their final and fourth year at Vaukore.
Lavinia was also captain of the Vaukore chess club and magical fencing club, and considered herself personally responsible for Volaticus having won the past two fencing tournaments at school.
“Fine. And yourself?”
“Spent most of it at a fencing camp in Ireland. Gonna be a good year,” said Lavinia intensely, as her fist met her palm. “Right. Babies, listen up!”
Lavinia explained to the first years that as students in Volaticus she better not hear about any of them sticking a toe out of line.
Maeve smiled as she warned them that Maeve, being a Volaticus Paragon herself, thoroughly enjoyed writing detentions for misconduct and wouldn’t hesitate to write any one of them a weeks worth.
That was true.
Lavinia quickly explained that the entrance to the Volaticus Dorms was enchanted to ensure their studies were being properly absorbed.
The correct answer to an equation, riddle, or question was required to gain entry, and the castle was always kind enough to provide helpful hints to expand the mind.
A bit of light reading was required if one didn’t know the answer.
Maeve laughed softly at their expressions of dread and made her way down from the East Wing and into the main castle.
She preferred Volatics’ means of entry more so than that of the other dorms. The Draconem students had to fence with an armored knight’s statue and win just to pass through.
And the Serpentine students were constantly changing their means of entry for one another, keeping each one of its members on their toes with having to find clever ways to access their dorm.
The castle was kind to them as well. New passages appeared for the truly cunning Serpentine students all the time.