“I don’t know.” Delmare shrugged. “Seemed like fun.”
Delmare was definitely the impulsive type. Odette smiled and said, “You’ve certainly made my day. Maybe we can do this again sometime.”
What, run from the cops? No thanks, I thought. But Delmare laughed.
“I’ll drop you off at the gate. I should probably return the carriage.” Delmare grinned wickedly. “Bobby still needs a ride.”
My mouth dropped as we rounded the top of the hill. An enormous palace came into view. It was orthodox in style, with large domes, spiraling towers and warm, yellow stone. The estate was huge, several stories tall, with ornate windows and decorative statues of winged soldiers lining the outer edge, rooftops made of copper that had turned green over the years. A huge, fancy gold fountain was placed in front of the giant entryway into the palace. The courtyard was a collection of cobblestone and flora, bigger than my local state park back home. In the distance, a couple of students swam in a large lake that a dragon paddled around happily.
It looked like the Winter Palace in Russia, or even Versailles in France. It was that freaking big. This was a massive estate, a place for kings and queens. There had to be thousands of students that came here.
Odette leaned over and nudged me. “Welcome to Arcanea University. Aren’t yousoexcited?”
I was more excited than I’d ever been in years. A momentary bit of fear ran through me. The place was so big! How was I supposed to find my way around it for classes?
We came to the large gate, and Delmare pulled the carriage to a stop. Odette and I disembarked and got our bags. She gave us a salute as we waved goodbye.
“See you girls around,” Delmare said, and she trotted the carriage off. The way she said farewell was like we’d been friends forever. It was nice.
But it was also strange to me, so I tried to shake it off. I turned to face the university. There were hundreds of students mulling in the courtyard in front of the palace. Could I really do this?
Odette was giving me an expectant look. I decided I had to. I followed her through the thick crowd of people and past the gate. When we got inside, the garden was more beautiful than I’d imagined. The grass and paths were sculpted to make curling formations. Golden fountains and flowers were everywhere. Hedges had been trimmed in the shapes of wolvens, dragons, griffins, and alicorns. Parts of the garden had mazes to wander through, or shaded areas where students lounged and talked. Whoever the gardener was, he deserved a major raise.
“The university used to be the old palace for the monarchy,” Odette explained. “That’s why it’s so big.”
There were guys everywhere. They were acting especially boorish, punching each other and wrestling, calling out to the girls who passed by and looking desperate. They shifted into their animal forms, playing games and contests with each other to show off their strength. Some girls paid them attention, but most of the females who walked by simply ignored them.
“It’s just the boys,” Odette told me, rolling her eyes and waving a hand. “All unmated Companions go nuts when their mates show up, and at the start of every new school year, they get even stupider than normal trying to impress the new freshman who aren’t bonded. It’s rather sad, really.”
I felt like it was mating season and I was some kind of animal. It was bizarre. But when in Malovia, do as the Arcanea do. I copied Odette and kept my eyes forward as we passed the huge crowd of guys performing their Dumbass Olympics in the yard.
I didn’t feel scared or intimidated by the guys begging for my attention— more or less amused. It was kind of funny, watching them fall all over themselves trying to get a girl. The guys back home weren’t like this. Too many of them that I knew kept three or more girls on the side and didn’t commit to any of them.
“You need to get your uniform,” Odette told me with a bright smile. “Trust me, you’ll love them. They’re so fabulous.”
Uniforms sounded terrible. But I doubted this school would let you walk around in a tee-shirt and jeans. Everything looked so fancy. Odette led me to a covered table in the garden, where a group of students were handing out white boxes. They looked older than us by a few years.
There was a guy handing out boxes at the edge of the table. He was tall and lengthy, with blue eyes and blonde hair. He was wearing a polo shirt and khakis that I thought seemed too formal for summer. He blushed pink as we approached.
“Hello, Theo. How was your summer?” Odette asked pleasantly.
Theo seemed lost for words, before he cleared his throat and said, “Fine, Odette. And yours?”
“It was amazingly delightful!” she squeaked. “May we have our uniforms, please?”
Theo nodded. “I’m glad you’re finally here at the university, Odette. Last year was lonely without you.”
He was dropping hints, but they went over Odette’s head. “Thank you.” She batted her eyelashes, and Theo gulped.
“So what do alicornsdo?” I asked him out of curiosity. “Do they practice magic like the Marked, or do they fight monsters like the other Companions?”
Theo let out ahmph.“Alicorns are fierce and respected warriors. We often don’t get the respect from the other Factions we deserve, though our horns and hooves are often bathed in blood.”
...O-kaay… somebody had issues about being a pony. I wasn’t trying to be rude, just genuinely interested. Odette reached up and ruffled his hair. “Oh, Theo. Don’t be that way. Emma’s new. She doesn’t understand.”
She kissed him on the cheek, and he stilled. He looked positively afraid of her. Some warrior.
Theo backed away and scanned the clipboard on the table before sorting through the group of boxes behind him. He hesitantly handed us two. “Here you go. Don’t get into any mischief, now.”
