“I just asked!” She shrugged, turning out her palms. “I’m in the same boat as Leland, us being Sevens and all. An odd job is good for my resume. I’ll really do anything if it gets me into fifth year!”
I heard almost none of that. “Leland’s a Seven?”
“Help,” Skye said weakly.
We walked over and Belinda gave her a shot for nausea, plus some electrolyte water from a hot-pink water bottle.
Skye took a few tiny sips, wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, and grunted before saying, “This is gentle puking, very mild.” Then her head sagged as she braced both hands on the rim of the concrete planter and spat.
I looked up at the pinnacle of a skyscraper behind her. “Were all these buildings made by Creators?” I asked Belinda, figuring I’d give Skye some privacy as she finished decorating the wood chips with hocks of spit.
“The old ones! A hundred years ago, Creators put up buildings overnight. None of us can do that anymore, unfortunately. Except Leland. Actually . . .” She pointed at a gold skyscrapercovered in square windows. “I’m pretty sure that one’s his.”
“The . . .” I stammered, trying to wrap my head around it, “the whole building?”
“Plus the grounds!” Belinda added like it was nothing. “You can usually tell which ones are his because he’s very thoughtful about how he designs public seating. None of those dividers that chop up the benches so no one can stretch out!”
I broke my stare at what was, presumably, his bench, strategically located under an awning for shade.
Why would Leland have so much more magic than anyone else? He could put buildings up overnight. He had a high spell count. He could, very probably, do more than just creation magic, even though he denied it. He said his mother was a priestess. And his father was . . .
He didn’t say. I wasn’t sure if he knew anything about him.
“And . . . just to confirm, Leland’sjusta Seven? An Aspirant? Heonlyhas creation magic, until he goes through fifth year and gets all the other magics?” The way I understood it, that was the process Sevens had to follow to become an Allwitch. Four years studying one school of light magic, and then a fifth year, if they were chosen for it, where they acquired the rest. But there was something undeniably different about Leland. Maybe the Council made an exception for him?
“I know,” Belinda said. “It’s hard to believe he’s one of us. But yep! He picked creation magic at his Selection, and now he’s an extremely above-average student. It’s honestly so lucky Starvos assigned you to him,” she carried on, “especiallysince I know for a fact Leland was only supposed to be getting honors students. Oh — not that — I didn’t mean you weren’t an honors student!Sonot what I meant!” She smiled nervously. “I just meant you’re lucky.”
Lucky?
I didn’t feel lucky. I felt tied to a pyre, surrounded by flamesand told not to let them touch me. “Will I have classes with the Echelon?” I asked. “Or you?”Or anyone who isn’t Leland?
“Sadly, no. The Echelon doesn’t teach. He comes around for announcements, attends the solstice balls, but he doesn’t lecture. He hasn’t taught since he lost his leg to the sea serpent.”
“The sea serpent?”
Belinda cupped a hand around her mouth and whispered, “From what we can tell, he also still has both legs, but such is the legend.”
“I . . .”What was happening right now?“So no classes with you, then?”
“Oh. Definitely not. The Echelon wants you with Leland and only Leland.” She patted my arm to —I don’t know— revive me? “Speaking as someone who’s shared a washroom with him for three years, he’s pretty wonderful. I know. Hard to believe because he’s all — ” She crushed her eyebrows together. “Oh, Goddess,” she panicked. “Don’t tell him I did that. But you know what I mean? Leland, he’s — ”
“The most eligible bachelor in Everden?” I suggested.
Belinda snorted. “Highly— and I can’t stress this enough — howhighlyI do not recommend you bringing that up. On Monday, a couple of second years stopped by, asking him to autograph their magazines, and heDisintegratedthem. The magazines — not the second years.”
“In case anyone was wondering,” Skye groaned, dusting off her hands, “I’m not dead.”
With her feeling better, the three of us began the trek to the academy. It was evening, yet still thirty degrees hotter than Hartik’s Hollow at noon. Skye’s pale skin was bright red. I would’ve offered her Leland’s cooling jacket, but I couldn’t take it off without exposing the cuffs around my wrists, which I’d promised him I wouldn’t do.
Belinda blew out a raspberry. I ignored it, my focus on thebeautiful, glittering towers lining the concrete street. Then she blew out another one, and Skye elbowed me in the ribs. Her eyes flicked a glare from me to Belinda.
“Oh, um, what?” I asked.
“So I’m not sure how to break this to you,” Belinda said, nibbling the corner of a tangerine thumbnail. “You seem so impressed by the city, and it isfun. Great, great place to live, super recommend it! But where students stay is less shiny and spectacular and more,heh, rocks?”
“That’s okay,” I said. “I wasn’t expecting . . .” I motioned to the penthouses ahead. The Olympic-sized swimming pools suspended in midair and Gardens of Babylon courtyards, lush buttercup-yellow, flowering bushes, and trees with pale-pink blooms. “Rocks are probably fine. I don’t need a lot.”
“Okay,” Belinda said doubtfully. “It’s just, the academy’s kinda archaic. Bare bones? I guess it’s supposed to fuel us . . .”
