“How do they protect themselves?” Diana, ever the practical one, asked. “I don’t sense any wards.”
“Just because they’re not right in front of you, doesn’t mean they don’t exist.” The headmistress pointed upward.
We followed her finger, squinting up into the sun. It took a few moments, but I caught the telltale signs of a shield shimmering and slightly pulsating in the sunlight.
“Only in the sky?” Diana’s gaze dropped to meet her mother’s eyes. “Like, to hide the school from planes?”
“The sky and all the way down to the tops of the surrounding mountains. When Nightdwellers was founded, witches created the shield and spelled the castle so that humans felt disinclined to climb these mountains.”
That sounded like a lot of work. I wondered if the fae academy had to take even further precautions, as fae looked otherworldly without their glamour.
“The Spellcasters delegation has arrived!” a boisterous voice called from behind us, startling me out of my admiration.
I whirled around to find the tall, gangly form of Headmaster Ezra rushing down the mountainside. My eyes widened, taking in the incredible speed at which he ran, and the cohort of vampire students at his back.
It was the first time I’d seen the headmaster up close and without a black hood. It surprised me to see he was younger than I’d imagined—no older than forty. His dark brown hair showed no trace of gray, his eyes gleamed with youth, and there wasn’t a wrinkle on his pale skin. While many people would opt to remain in their twenties if given the chance to turn into a vampire, looking at Headmaster Ezra, I disagreed. The headmaster had been changed in the prime of his life.
“I apologize that I was not at the door to welcome you,” the headmaster said. “We were finishing up our exercise for the morning, and I saw youpopinto existence.” He held up a fist and flung his fingers open to demonstrate our sudden appearance.
“No matter,” Headmistress Wake said. “You’re here now. Shall we proceed inside?”
Headmaster Ezra motioned to his students. “Inform the kitchens we have guests who will require solid nourishment. Mathias and Jules, take the champions’ bags and place them inside their rooms. Ensure that everyone knows that wing of the castle is off limits. If the champions’ privacy is breached, the offender will suffer time in the dungeons.”
My stomach tightened.The dungeons? What the hell kind of school is this?!
“When should lunch be ready for them?” Jules, the girl, asked.
“Three hours should be long enough. It will be served in the solarium so they might enjoy our mountain views,” the headmaster replied after a moment’s musing.
Three hours? That seemed like an exorbitant amount of time to prepare lunch. But then again, as Eva had pointed out to me before I left, people in Nightdwellers probably didn’t cook often.
Take all the time you need, I thought, hoping we wouldn’t get served up a bowl of blood stew, or some other revolting dish.
We followed Headmaster Ezra inside the castle. As soon as the thirty-foot high doors shut behind us with athud, a chill washed over me.
While Spellcasters was dark inside from its rich wood walls and decor, Nightdwellers was unlit to the point of verging on gloomy. I glanced up and saw that the chandeliers were forged of cold silver and had the bare minimum of candles lit to provide light. The walls were pitch black, and the few portraits that eased the starkness were of disturbingly pale or ashen people. Every single one seemed to be competing for the Most Dour Expression award.
And then there was theotherart.
It was as if, between vampire portraits and cold, black walls, the only other suitable adornment at Nightdwellers was something that Goya might have created in his darkest period. Paintings rivaling the depravity ofSaturn Devouring His Sonstared down at us, making me cringe.
“That’s not creepy at all,” Andre whispered at my side. “And the government allows vampires to spy for them?”
“They don’t merelyallowit, my boy, they wish to employmoreof us.” Headmaster Ezra twisted to look at Andre, who blushed at being overheard. “Something to do with our keen senses, immense strength, and incredible speed.”
At that, everyone fell quiet, and Headmaster Ezra began to lead us around the school.
I’d expected a short tour, followed by time to rest and get acclimatized. As it turned out, however, my expectations were not met. The headmaster spent the next two hours and forty-five minutes playing tour guide. He particularly seemed to delight in regaling us with the creepy history behind the decorations of Nightdwellers.
Finally, lunch was pronounced ready, and Headmaster Ezra led us to a long, dark hallway. He pointed to the door at the end. “That is my suite. The Spellcasters students will stay in rooms sharing my hallway the evening before the games. The rooms are labeled, and your bags are already inside.”
“Why are we not rooming near the students we’re supposed to be getting to know?” Sam asked. “I thought this event was for making friends with other magicals as much as friendly competition.”
“Of course, you will have time to meet them at the feast this evening. And if you wish, I can arrange new accommodations afterwards. However, be aware that my students have a competitive streak. I would not put it past them to . . . sabotage your chances,” Headmaster Ezra commented. “If you were to sleep near me, there would be less chance of such tomfoolery.”
“Where are the fae and shifter champions staying?” Sam asked, quickly picking up on the fact that the hall didn’t have enough doors to house all the visiting champions and their chaperones.
“The fae will stay one hallway down this corridor, where my most trusted staff lives. The shifters, however . . .” The vampire shook his head, as if he were amused. “Well, let’s just say the shifters and my students have a bit of a healthy rivalry. They declined to room under my protection. I suspect that after the Inaugural Feast this evening, much mischief will be had.”
