Genie peered out from behind the chimera’s rump. “Does that mean we should be relieved? Maybe they’re planning to go about their lives without causing any fuss at all. You know, like roosting bats or pigeons.”
I shot her a dubious look. “I think it’s more likely to blow up in our faces at some point. They’re quiet now, sure, but these aren’t wilting wallflowers we’re talking about. They thrive on mischief.”
“Damn it. That’s what I was thinking, but with cruder words.” Genie puffed a sigh. “Well, we’ll have to carry on the search later. Don’t want to be late for our first training session with Hosseini. He might look like a gentle giant, but I saw his stern streak last night. I don’t want to be on the receiving end of it.”
Please, don’t step out of line, pixies… My time this morning had run out, and it would be hours before I had another opportunity to look for them. Hours filled with crippling anxiety that someone would see them and report the news to Victoria. I wondered if anyone had been expelled on their first day? Maybe, I’d be the first.
Unless… A sudden resignation dawned. I’d made a promise to Nathan last night. I had to come clean to Victoria. I’d tried to fix it alone and I’d failed. Maybe she’d give me some credit for attempting to stand on my own two feet and solve my own problems. Maybe not. Either way, this morning’s search had been the final nail in the coffin—I couldn’t do this alone. I owed Nathan for giving me the chance, but I couldn’t even do it with Genie at my side. I’d wanted to, but it wasn’t possible. As soon as my first classes were over and our lunch break came around, I’d go to the head huntswoman and tell her everything. And pray she understood my reasoning.
I nodded. “They’ll have to show themselves some time, even if it’s not me who coaxes them out.” I sounded calm, but my insides jittered like crazy. One mishap from these pixies, and it’d be front page news before I had a chance to get to Victoria myself. And that prospect came with additional fears. I wished I could believe the comforting things Nathan and Genie had said about Victoria not losing her mind over this, but O’Halloran’s reaction was stuck in my head like a barb. I hadn’t expected him to react the way he did, and I didn’t want to get into the habit of believing I’d get a free pass every time I messed up.
“And hope they don’t get any stupid ideas before then.” Genie stepped out from behind the chimera and, together, we headed for the training courts.
At Genie’s suggestion, we jogged the whole way to get ourselves warmed up—though, I mostly just wanted to wake myself up—and arrived five minutes early to a room full of awkward looks and shamefaced silence. After Hosseini’s talking-to last night, everyone had their tails tucked firmly between their legs. Hosseini himself crouched in the corner of the huge glass-and-stone space, sifting through a trunk full of unusual sea-green cubes. I couldn’t see them very well from my spot, but silver embellishments glinted as he turned the boxes over in his hands, assessing them. Hexwork of some kind, I supposed, as these were likely the famous puzzle boxes that Kes had told me about—Institute patented.
I could use about thirty to forty of those. I tried to keep up a calm façade, my eyes flitting toward every corner in the training studio for a glimmer of pixie. Stupid as it sounded, above all else, I didn’t want my classmates to see what I’d done. They were already wary of me.
Choosing a box, Hosseini straightened to his full height. He’d looked a lot smaller on the stage in the main assembly hall, but that was perspective for you. His dark curls were held back by an embroidered band of coral-red silk, which covered most of his forehead and tied in the back. The matching buttoned-up tunic was decorated with delicate gold patterns sewn into the cuffs and high collar. His pants were white and flowing and his feet were bare, maybe to give him some freedom, or to keep him in touch with the ground. I’d never seen a person with more natural nobility—aside from Victoria.
Please don’t expel me, Ms. Jules. Please… I just needed a few more hours, and I’d reveal everything to her. The pixies just had to hold off until then.
“Good morning. I trust everyone rested well and took pause for self-reflection?” His voice was lilting and musical, but the inference in his words was anything but soft. A grumble of assent made its way through the class of twelve. His obsidian eyes glanced at Genie for a moment, as if offering her the opportunity to speak. When she didn’t, he continued.
“I am partial to the saying: ‘This is the first day of the rest of your lives.’ However, that would be untrue, in this instance. Instead, I will say that this is the first day toward saving your lives. Monster hunting is complex and uniquely personal, as you will discover throughout your education here. There are the basics, but there is no one-size-fits-all approach.” He gestured to the group. “You each have your own set of skills and talents, of varying levels of intensity and utility, and you must decipher which are of the most value to you when facing a monster in the field. Monster hunting is as much about the mind as it is about the physicality, for one lapse in judgment can cost you everything. Now, you will find that I have a very practical approach to teaching. It’s easier to learn
