Glancing around the Dean, Ceri caught glimpse of a small, grey-haired woman in a wheeled chair. She didn’t seem particularly intimidating, but Dean Whittaker backed away immediately, pulling the door closed behind him.
He took a moment to readjust his tie. “I’m sorry about that. Ms. Redclaw is very particular about her library. We’ll have to come by at another time.”
Ceri agreed, but the truth was, she was intrigued by the commotion. There were few things that were more tempting to her than closed doors. A lifetime of wandering the halls of the castle had taught her that most interesting things happened in the private places where people thought they couldn’t be overheard.
Ceri allowed the Dean to drag her along through the rest of the halls. He showed her the various departments with their offices and classrooms, noting with special pride the fine rooms which had been given to Prince Idris during his stay, no doubt at the expense of some tenured old fellow who would resent him for it greatly. (The prince himself was out for the day to greet his arriving companions.) He brought her into the grand dining hall, which was apparently a former cathedral to the Gods of Loegria, though the iconography and stained-glass windows had been replaced with depictions of scholars and significant moments in history, including the conquering by Ceri’s own ancestors. Finally, the Dean led her through a pair of doors into a cloistered courtyard.
“Destroyed in the Great Fire, but the east wing remains intact. It’s handy for avoiding the cold when walking to the dormitories during winter, but on a fine day such as this, it’s nice to walk outside, don’t you think, your highness?”
It was a fine and sunny day here in the courtyard, the oppression of the halls forgotten in the open air. Ceri couldimagine groups of students lounging out here on the grass, reading books and discussing important things. She hoped she’d find a way to be among them.
“I said go away!” Someone was yelling in the far corner of the courtyard near the lone stand of trees.
Dean Whittaker once again put himself between Ceri and the commotion. “On second thought, it might be best to show you the way you’ll walk in winter,” he said, attempting to steer her back into a doorway.
“Go on! Get! I said GET!”
The distant figure seemed to be arguing with a crow.
“Who is that?” asked Ceri.
Dean Whittaker looked pained. “Groundskeeper Tomasar is…passionate about his work. Nothing to worry about.”
Particular and passionate. The staff at the college were much more daring than Ceri had expected. The staff and servants of the castle operated under the strictest code of conduct. Her father would have fired anyone who behaved as the librarian and the groundskeeper had done, but Dean Whittaker seemed almost afraid of his staff. Almost as soon as she had thought it, he delivered a warning. “Just don’t mess with the old yew there, whatever you do.”
“The yew?” At the base of the group of trees, a small cast iron fence had been erected with a sign that saidKEEP OUT.
“That’s the Norminster Yew,” said the Dean, gesturing to the trees. “It’s all one very old tree; the middle part has rotted away. Tomasar is quite attached to it.”
Tomasar, an elderly dwarf in overalls with a scarred face and a long, grey beard, waved the rake he was using to frighten away the crows to Dean Whittaker and Ceri. The Dean waved back weakly as he led Ceri past the trees, through the breezeway beyond, and into the dormitories.
There, the human from earlier was waiting. “Your highness, your rooms are ready.” They followed her up a flight of stairs to a nondescript door with a set of small brass numbers: 213.
The room was small—no, tiny. Ceri’s dressing room at the castle was larger. Somehow, they’d managed to cram two single beds, two wardrobes, and two writing desks with chairs into the narrow space. Ceri passed the furniture and her trunks, which filled almost the entirety of the open floor, and headed to the window.
Through the heavy leaded glass, Ceri had a fine view of the courtyard, including Groundskeeper Tomasar’s continued fight with the crows.
“It’s perfect,” she said.
“I’ll leave you to get settled in,” said the Dean. “Dinner begins at six; there aren’t many here on campus yet, so we’ll all be eating at the head table. Generally, it’s rare for students to be invited to the head table, but of course, you are always welcome to do so.”
“That won’t be necessary,” said Ceri. “Thank you for the tour.”
The Dean fidgeted with his tie, looking around the small room as if he wanted to say more about Ceri’s choice of accommodations, but he didn’t dare to do so. He bowed a little less low than he had the first time and took his leave.
Ceri pushed her trunks to the side of the room that had a little less space. Truly an unselfish choice—she hoped her new roommate would appreciate how generous and accommodating she was.
Her new roommate. Ceri had never shared a room with anyone before. She had dreamt as a child of having a sister; not that she didn’t love her brother, but Idris was nearly an adult in Ceri’s first memories, and she’d always longed to have someone her own age to play with. She’d had a number of friends, butthey had been required to keep their distance on account of her station, and they frequently were sent away along with their parents at the king’s whims, no matter how much Ceri cried and begged for them to stay.
But now, she would share her space with someone else. Someone who would know her on a level that none but the servants did.
It was thrilling. And also terrifying.
Ceri began to unpack some of her things, brand new clothes in scholarly styles: straight skirts in dark wool that reached to the knees, finely starched shirts, warmed knitted jumpers, and ties in the college colors of crimson and black. There were new undergarments here too, lacy Gallic designs that could be put on without the help of a servant. (Her aunt Chloe had helped her procure those without the king’s knowledge.)
The wardrobe was filled with the contents of just the first trunk, with four more to go just like it.
That was a problem for another time. Ceri looked out the window to see the Dean reentering the dining hall on the other side of the courtyard.
