“Dan.”
“I won’t be going back, Dan, so set your eyes on others.” Her smile was harder than the rocks he’d mistakenly tried to hike. Even ancient glaciers wouldn’t carve her edges away. She added, “I will be joining the agricultural house.”
He gaped at her. “How do you know?”
Ana put a hand on her heart. “I know who I am.” She looked him up and down. “Some of us have to figure that out to exist in that world, eh?”
Despite the competitive impulse he’d felt, he looked at her and grinned. “You’re a little scary, Ana.”
“You’re wiser than you look,” she answered with a laugh.
When she laughed, he felt warmer, happier, as if there was something about her that was innately nurturing, but in his brief stint in pursuing a degree in Comparative Mythology, he’d quickly learned that most people saw nature goddesses differently in the past. Creator and destroyer, that was what a nurturing woman was at her heart, and Ana was a living, breathing reminder that nature—the source of his own near-death experience—was far more scary than direct violence. Natural disasters were destruction on a scale that mere humans couldn’t accomplish often.
Ana cut a path through the other students, clearly ready to get to know more people. She was wasting no time in getting a sense of her peers. It made him like her even more.
Dan was one of a dozen—Ana, Maggie, Axell, the nervous woman, and the angry one.
I guess that makes me the gay one.
He grinned, eying another person who definitely signaled as possibly nonbinary. Themajorityof the people in his class were not your standard white-bread boring. Not always in the same way, but there was definite variety among the new witches.
Everything about today felt far more exciting than his first go-round in college had been. Magic. Pass or get kicked out of the entire magical world. Intrigue between faculty. And that woman with the attitude…oof. He was pretty sure avoidingherat all costs was the wisest choice he could make.
He was making his way toward Axell, who was staring at him now, when he was stopped mid-turn.
“Mr. Monahan? Daniel?” Sondre called out, sounding so formal that Dan could almost pretend they had never spoken.
Maybe that would’ve been better.
Dan saw the witch he was hoping to avoid glance his way.Ellen Brandeau or something.She had looked startled, like she recognized his name, but he’d never met her.
Dan put a larger gap between him and Axell. Sondre was dangerous, and Axell was without filters. It seemed wisest to keep them apart.
In a level voice, Sondre added, “I try to check in on all the students individually. One per day as it were.”
Dan nodded and fell in step with him, hating the creeping itch of Sondre’s cover story, but still smiling and saying, “Sure thing.”
“Get to know the mouthy one,” Sondre whispered. “Idoneed to talk to everyone.”
“Sure thing,” Dan repeated, optimism flagging more. Nothing good could come of this request. Dan knew it in that fundamental way that he knew a lot of things, but just as clearly, he knew there were a lot of things Sondre could ask that would be worse.
Honestly, Dan suspected there would be worse things.
“Settling in well?” Sondre asked louder. “I like to be sure you’re all adjusting well to our world. It can be a lot.”
Dan gave him an are-you-serious look, before saying, “Castle? Hobs? Magic? Yeah, I think it’s pretty much ideal. How areyoudoing this week?”
Sondre faltered slightly. “You’re an odd one, Mr. Monahan.” He frowned at Dan. “No one asks me that.”
“Well, I just fucking did, so… how are you? I bet all these new arrivals at once is stressful.” Dan tried to ignore the flicker of joy he felt at Sondre’s surprise. “I’m staying, you know. Then I’m going to be your friend. Friends ask, ‘How are you?’ Sohow are you?”
Sondre glanced at Maggie. “I hate this job.”
“Really?”
“It’s a punishment, meant to keep me busy.” Sondre’s gaze swept the group. “At least I get to meet all the incoming witches.” He looked at Dan. “Even those who unilaterally decide to be my friend.”
“Could be worse. ’Least you’re not a badger,” Dan said quietly.
