14. Loveleena
LOVELEENA
“This is the squad you will complete your three critical assessments with. The squad that will be by your side as you train. I would also advise that this is the squad you eat, study, and celebrate with.”
Loveleena blinked. That meant she would be stuck with Kumani—a lot. Not that Kumani was difficult to be around. She wasn’t difficult to be around, like at all, which is why Loveleena needed to avoid her. It would be way too easy to fall back into things with her just because it was comfortable.
A man with tawny blonde hair had called out twenty of their names one by one (including Kumani, which was the worst-case scenario in her opinion), before bringing them to a small classroom for Trivium in the east wing of the castle—which despite being beautiful, looked ancient.
There were stretches where you could tell it had been re-done, strengthened and sculpted with newer materials.
However, most of the wing looked like it would crumble if you even slightly bumped into it.
Despite her questioning, the man assured them the castle was sturdy.
When they arrived at the classroom, she spotted Ren and breathed a sigh of relief. He had slipped away at some point in the middle of the headmaster’s speech, and despite his intense nature, a small part of her was happy to see him. At least she knew someone other than Kumani.
The students quickly introduced themselves to each other, before the professor cleared his throat, requesting their attention. He had introduced himself as Professor Cade Barrow, Trivium instructor and Head of Combat, before launching into a lecture on the importance of their Trivium squad.
“This room will be your home base for everything you learn at the Academy. Look around. Study each other. Because those here will be your core squad when you go beyond the wall, throughout your assessments and otherwise. You’ll need to learn and trust each other more than anyone else at the Academy. ”
Loveleena looked around in search of some kind of social escape.
Most of her peers looked proud, anxious but confident.
A few looked as uncertain as she felt. She hadn’t really had time to process what, exactly, she had agreed to by coming to this school.
And after the headmaster’s speech, the reality of it was starting to sink in.
She hadn’t entirely thought this through.
“Each Trivium is supported by some of our best graduates and students in higher years. Your first lead is second-year, Rhett Lennox.” Professor Barrow gestured to the man who had brought them here, who responded to the introduction by throwing up a hand in a casual wave.
“This year, we’ve also added graduate leads for extra training and protection.
They have agreed to additional duties, over and above defending the city, so make sure you thank them.
The first is Ren Elmerian.” He looked to the back of the room, where Ren stood tall, feet a little wider than his shoulders, arms crossed. He nodded slightly.
“Legs for days, that one,” Rory whispered, a girl with deep auburn hair and an entire constellation of freckles splattered across her face.
Loveleena looked back at Ren, this time focusing on his legs.
He did have long legs. While Lennox was slim and athletic, Ren was broader in the shoulders and thighs.
Despite their different physiques, and demeanors for that matter, they both embodied an unmistakable air of arrogance. Classic Slayers.
“Your second graduate lead is Serena—”
As if on cue, a tall woman with golden blonde hair and sparkly eyes strode into the room, dirt smudged on her face and up her arms. Her silky ponytail bobbed behind her.
“Apologies, Professor.” She smiled, and Loveleena felt the whole room warm. “Easy to lose track of time with a pack of Slyfoxes following you.”
“Hi everyone,” she said, making eye contact with each of them. “Nice to meet you. You won’t see as much of me as you will the boys.” She smiled vivaciously at Lennox and Ren. “But I’ll be around.”
“You have a couple hours until the Gala begins,” Professor Barrow continued. “You will be split into three groups and one of your leads—Lennox, Ren, or Serena—will show you the grounds. Your sleeping arrangements and timetables are on the back table, so please collect them on your way out.”
“Tomorrow morning at dawn, you’ll meet here. Save your questions for then. Tonight is about celebrating and getting to know your Trivium squad. Enjoy yourselves tonight but don’t be late tomorrow.”
Loveleena tried to get into Ren’s tour group, but Professor Barrow had sectioned them off so quickly she didn’t have a chance. And when she asked to switch, he gave her a firm denial and left the room.
She would have taken Serena over Lennox, just to avoid being in a group with Kumani, but here she was, trailing behind Lennox, Kumani, Ahmina, Rory, Artie, Emerson, and two girls who spent the tour whispering and giggling about Lennox.
Loveleena didn’t even bother introducing herself to them.
No point in getting to know girls who lost their shit over some Slayer with bad hair and a barely passing bad boy heartthrob aesthetic.
“Bloody hell of the Goddess,” Emerson said beside her, rolling his eyes.
“How did I get stuck in a group with a bunch of blushing schoolgirls.” His olive skin, well-groomed auburn hair, and nicely defined arms were striking in the afternoon sun.
He wasn’t that much taller than her, but it somehow still felt like he towered over her curvy frame.
Loveleena’s lips curled at the sides. “Don’t get too close or you might be next.”
“Throw me to the Hydra, then,” he grumbled.
“You don’t want all the girls after you, Emerson?” she teased.
He looked behind him and frowned before turning back. “No.”
Loveleena glanced over her shoulder. “Ohhhh okaayyy.” She chuckled. “Who broke your heart?”
He ignored her as he stomped forward. She had to speed walk just to keep pace with him as they ventured up the pathway toward the dorms.
“As you can see…” Lennox pointed to each part of the school like it was the most boring thing in the world.
“The main castle is where Trivium, the Great Hall, library, kitchens, mess hall, and professor living quarters are. Strategy is in the Skyward Amphitheatre, across the courtyard over there,” he said, gesturing to a circular building that was probably the newest building on campus.
“The Moonlight Apothecary is behind us just up the road into the village. And yes,” he said, as if reading their minds, “it is falling apart at the seams so be gentle with the doors.”
“You think you’ll even make it in there?” Loveleena whispered to Emerson, noticing how small the entryway was. Even from this distance, you could tell it was abnormally short and decrepit. “Might cut you off at the hips.”
Emerson laughed and shook his head. “It’s not just the creatures I have to worry about; it’s the damn doors.”
“Also,” Lennox added, as he led them up past the greenhouse to the dorms. “The classrooms were named by the original Defenders. Don’t poke fun at it around the professors or you’ll be paying for it all year.”
The Slayer building was built with plain sandstone, featuring two towers stretching tall on each side like bookends.
Cradled beside it was the Alchemist building, which was similar in shape and size except vines and flowers spread up from its foundation.
The Clever building was as simple as the Slayer building but unique in that it held a small library.
Finally, they reached the first-year dorms, the largest and simplest of them all except for the connecting pathway to the main castle made of beautifully crafted glass that the Alchemists had decorated with hanging flowers.
Inside, the dorm was simple, but there was a large common room and the bathrooms had been redone.
It wasn’t nearly as bad as Loveleena thought it would be.
“Fancy,” Loveleena noted, though her life had been filled with far more luxurious accommodations. She wanted to blend in—didn’t want everyone to think she was a snob because she was a noble daughter. “Why do we get the nice building?”
“You’re the biggest group and it’s the biggest building.” Lennox shrugged. “Don’t get used to it because next year, once you’re given a specialty, you’ll be somewhere else.”
“Where do the graduates live?” Rory asked.
“Defender Village, and a few outposts within Jarrah; the exact locations are confidential of course.”
Loveleena’s father received regular updates from Defenders, so she was quite aware of the outposts.
She certainly wasn’t privy to the innerworkings of the Defenders, but he liked to vent during family dinner after a couple glasses of wine, and she suddenly wished she hadn’t spent most of those rants daydreaming.
“Interesting,” Ahmina pondered, “I thought all graduates lived here.”
Lennox turned to face them, walking backwards. “Jarrians believe what we want them to believe. It serves us to have outposts in secret. We’re able to take care of things… discreetly.”
He continued showing them around the first-year dorms until they landed back in the common room, concluding their tour. “So, I guess I should tell you in case you don’t know: graduates, just like students, are put into squads: one Alchemist, one Clever, two or three Slayers.”
“What about Charmers?” Ahmina asked. Their whole group froze at her words. Loveleena didn’t know much about the Academy, so she didn’t get what the big deal was.
“I thought Charmers were just a rumor,” a girl with pink hair said, eyes wide. Loveleena snuck a quick glance at Emerson to catch his reaction, but his face remained neutral.
“Charmers are just a rumor.” Lennox shot Ahmina an intrigued look. “Trust me, if they were real, I’d get a Charmer to influence the cooks to switch up the food in the mess hall so I’m not eating the same bloody stew every day.”
Everyone laughed, and Loveleena made a mental note to avoid the stew and request that the cooks make her something tastier.
“What does a Charmer do?” Loveleena whispered to Emerson, because she genuinely had never heard of it before. She was probably the only person here who hadn’t studied for years to attend the Academy.
“The rumor is that they use magic to control creatures… and people, technically,” he said low in her ear.
“But people don’t have magic.”
Only creatures had magic. Everyone knew that.
“Exactly. Like Lennox said, Charmers are just an urban legend,” Emerson confirmed.
“Alright, one last thing and then you’re all free to wander about the village for a while until the Gala. Let me introduce you to rounds,” Lennox said, leading them out of the dorms.
Rounds? As in chores!? She hadn’t done a single chore in her life, and she didn’t plan on starting now. She sighed, dragging her feet as they headed to the laundry room.