I stick my fork in my mouth and look at her questioningly.
“There’s only one rule in Captura: don’t kill anyone. Other than that, all bets are off. People get crazy competitive over it. The courses are different each match, and projections of demons are conjured. They can’t actually hurt you, but if you’re caught by one, you’re out. If all members on one team are out before all the orbs are caught, then the other team wins by default.”
I grin. “Okay…so it sounds a little intense. But still fun.”
“Very intense.” She laughs.
I go back to my food, finishing my plate. I decide to go for the pie instead of a second helping of dinner, and after one bite of the blueberry pie, I do not regret my choice.
Right as I’m scraping the last of the filling off my plate with my fork—and wishing I could pick it up and lick it—a bright red light glows inside the lantern on the center of the table. Gertrude reaches forward and opens the little glass door, and the red light floats out and over to me.
It hovers in the air just a foot from my face.
“What is this?” I ask, looking at Maxon.
“It’s from Professor Dalmatius,” he tells me.
“What does it mean?”
“It means you’ve been summoned.”
10
The little red ball of light bobs a few feet ahead of me, pausing every once in a while to make sure I’m not falling behind. It’s leading me to Professor Dal’s office, and I’m glad for the tour guide because I don’t remember how to get from the mess hall to the professors’ quarters. Maxon said you can’t get in without access, but hopefully this ball of light will help me get around that problem.
I smooth my hair down when the large door comes into view. There’s a lock in the middle of the door, and it doesn’t seem to quite make sense. It doesn’t appear to be attached to anything, and I don’t have a key.
The red ball of light goes inside the keyhole, and the door swings open.
“Cool,” I whisper to myself, and step through the door. I pick up the pace, knowing this is a long hall and Professor Dal’s office is at the end. His door is open, and golden light spills into the dim hall. I pause at the threshold and knock.
“Come in, Miss Blake.” Professor Dal looks up, smiling as soon as he sees me. He’s at his desk, cloak off and hanging on the wall behind him. The sleeves of his gray dress shirt are rolled up, exposing his powerful forearms. “Have a seat.”
I tuck my hair behind my ear and sit on the couch. It wasn’t all that long ago he brought me through a portal and into his office, yet it feels like it’s been days.
Maybe I’m settling into my new life here better than I thought.
“I heard something interesting today,” he starts as he scribbles something down in a notebook.
“You did?”
“Yes, very interesting.” His dark eyes twinkle as he looks up at me over the rim of his glasses. “I heard a new student was able to solve a sacred geometric puzzle and summon the magic required to open it.”
“Oh, I, uh…uh…” I clear my throat as my cheeks heat. “Is that a bad thing? I hope I’m not in trouble.”
He laughs. “Quite the opposite.” Pushing the chair back, he sets the quill down and looks at me. “Professor Adria was impressed, and so am I. It’s quite an honor to have such a talented reaper in my house, Miss Blake.”
I’ve always been awkward with responding to compliments, and I have absolutely no idea what to say back to this one. My cheeks sting with both pleasure and embarrassment, and I have to force myself not to look away.
“Now,” Professor Dal starts, getting out of his chair. He comes around to the front of his desk, leaning his hip against the edge. He’s close enough that his sandalwood and mint scent envelopes me, and I have to fight the urge to take a deep breath. “I understand the headmistress has already discussed doing a trial run for you the rest of this week before placing you in classes.”
“Right. She has me shadowing Maxon and said she’ll test me on Saturday.”
“Good. A reaper of your talents doesn’t need to waste time in beginner classes. Assuming it’s all right with you, I’m going to propose a private study plan over the next two weeks at an accelerated pace, so that you can remain with reapers of your age. Maxon will still assist you in your classes during the day—and I do plan to adjust your schedule a bit if necessary—and then in the evenings, I’d like to train you. Teach you the basics you need to know before moving on to more skilled classes. It will be an intense workload, but with your skills, you’ll be caught up in no time.”
“A private lesson plan?” My heart beats faster, my skin tingling with awareness. I’m going to be alone with the professor every night? The thoughts that flash through my head at that are less than wholesome, and I force myself to push them out of my mind.
We arenotgoing there, Addy!
