I sink onto the bed. Springs groan beneath me. Not exactly five-star, but it beats being shadow food. She swings her legs back and forth and pins me with a curious look.
“So,” she says, eyes bright. “How’d you land here, mystery girl?”
I snort. “Got a letter. Shadow monsters tried to kill me. Creepy escort dragged me through a portal. You know. Normal Tuesday. You?”
She laughs, a full, delighted sound. “Oh, you’re going to be fun. As for me, this is my second year, half-blood scholarship kid. I’m half fae, half witch.”
Tamsin lets me breathe for all of two minutes before she bounces to her feet.
“Come on,” she says, tugging me up. “You need food. And trust me—you don’t want to be late to dinner. The Houses notice.”
“Houses?” I echo, grabbing my map and trying to keep up as she speeds toward the stairs.
She waves a hand. “Yeah. Blackthorn’s split into four. Blood, Bone, Veil, and Fang. You’ll meet reps at orientation, but… unofficially?” She grins again. “It’s all politics and power games.”
Great. Just what I need.
We wind down staircase after staircase, passing clusters of students in midnight robes or shimmering cloaks, casuallyworking magic like it’s nothing. Floating books. Whispered wards. One girl literally floating three inches above the floor.
I pinch myself. Hard. This has to be a fever dream—too much ice cream too close to bed. But I don’t wake up, and yeah, it hurts.
Tamsin keeps talking. “Hierarchy’s brutal. First Blood witches and warlocks at the top—oldest lines, purest magic, really strong…you get it. Everyone else falls somewhere below. Shifters are the protectors. Fae are tricksters. Scholarship and Half-blood students are just tokens to appear diverse. Mundanes…well.” Her glance is quick. Pitying. “Humans? They don’t usually get in at all. I think you’re the first in years.”
“Yeah, I’m getting that vibe,” I mutter, eyes darting to another student openly staring at me as we pass.
We round a corner, and the space opens up. The dining hall is like walking into a wall of sound and spice.
Vaulted ceilings stretch impossibly high, charmed stars glittering across the stone. Massive windows show an endless night sky, even though it’s still day outside. The air hums thick with the sound I’m starting to associate with magic; floating platters, shimmering goblets, voices twined with subtle glamour.
“How is this even…?” I whisper.
Tamsin smirks. “First time always hits hard. You get used to it.”
I’m trying to take it all in when a group of students sweeps past in a combination of silver and crimson robes, subtle runes glowing on cuffs. The air chills around them. The one at the front slows.
Tall. Pale hair. Eyes like frost to match his silver robe. A sneer already curling his lips.
Next to me, Tamsin stiffens. “That’s Auron Draven,” she whispers quickly. “First blood. Blood House heir. He’s not nice. Careful.”
He stops directly in our path. His gaze rakes over me, head to toe. Cold. Dismissive.
“So this is the stray Kael dragged in,” he says icily. Loud enough for nearby students to hear.
Heat flushes my cheeks, even though I have nothing to be ashamed of. I open my mouth to reply and tell him exactly where he could shove his words, but Tamsin grabs my arm. A subtle shake of her head as she tugs me away.
“Come on. Not worth it.”
Auron smiles. Razor-thin. “Smart advice. You won’t last long here,human.”
Then he’s brushing past, vanishing into the crowd, leaving frost in his wake. I exhale slowly. My fists are clenched without realizing.
“Asshole,” Tamsin says cheerfully, dragging me toward an empty table. “He’s always like that. He thinks he’s better than everyone, but that’s probably because he’s really powerful. Don’t let it stick.”
Easier said than done. As I sink onto the bench, my mind’s racing. Magic. Houses. Hierarchies. Enemies. And tomorrow—Orientation.
Where apparently the real games begin.
She winks. “Stick with me, and you might survive.”
