A loud chime rang through the dining hall, saving me from any further conversation on the subject.
“Oh, man.” Eric groaned and shoved his plate back. “I’m still starving.”
“Then keep eating,” Clem said as she popped a doughnut hole into her mouth. Sugary crumbs clung to her pink-glossed lips for a moment, and she licked them away with a quick swipe of her tongue. “That wasn’t the end-of-meal chime.”
We didn’t have to wonder about the bell for long, because the dining hall’s doors flew open a moment later to reveal a flood of new initiates. They rushed in, eyes wide and mouths hanging open as they tried to take in every detail of their surroundings. They were only a year younger than me, but their rambunctious entrance made them seem like children.
“There are so few of them.” Clem grinned at me. “You did your job too well.”
Eric laughed, and I grimaced. Beating the School’s champion was a sure way to gain admission, or higher ranks if you were an upperclassman, but no one had gotten past me during the whole Five Dragons Challenge. Even Hank, one of the School’s most famous former champions, had been beaten, and not just by me.
Of course, he’d also seriously injured dozens of other contenders on Grayson Bishop’s orders.
I’d only killed one.
“I was just following the rules,” I said to Clem. “Maybe this year’s contenders just weren’t very good.”
“What about that one?” Clem asked and speared her fork over my shoulder.
I twisted in my seat to find an initiate waving at me from across the room. The girl was very short, less than five feet tall, with sharp elfin features and long smooth black hair she wore braided over one shoulder. I remembered her from Dallas. She was one of the contenders I’d beaten most easily. I gave her an offhanded wave and turned my attention back to Clem.
“That’s Rachel Lu. I’m not sure why she’s here,” I admitted. “I dropped her in the first ten seconds.”
“Doesn’t look like she has any hard feelings toward you about it,” Clem said and harpooned a raspberry on the tines of her fork. “You really were something out there, Jace.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Eric agreed. He washed his pancakes down with a gulp of milk so cold condensation rolled down the glass like beads. “You’re going to have to teach me some of those moves.”
I chuckled nervously at the request. To those who’d watched me fight, I’d seemed faster, more agile, and stronger than my opponents. From the audience’s point of view, they saw flashing serpents, careful blocks, and stunning strikes that dismantled my opponents with skill and ease.
I wondered how they’d feel if they knew the truth.
No, I wouldn’t be teaching Eric any of my tricks.
“We’ll see,” I said. “Remember, most of my fights were against newbies who didn’t have any training at all. I probably could have—”
“Greetings, initiates and upperclassmen,” a tall, slender woman with a mane of fiery red hair called out as she entered the dining room behind the flood of initiates. “As I’m sure you’re all aware, Sage Bishop will not be joining us as headmaster this year.”
She paused for a moment to let the Resplendent Suns clan grumble and the Disciples of Jade Flame cheer before she continued.
“I will be stepping into Sage Bishop’s shoes for the year.” She nodded and smiled easily at the uncertain applause from the rest of us. “As I’m sure you’re all aware, the circumstances surrounding the School of Swords and Serpents have not been, to put it mildly, well received. As a result, the Adjudicators have assigned me to help restore order to our campus and ensure there are no repeats of last year’s unfortunate events.”
“So, she’s the one,” Clem said with a frown. “Mother told me they were sending a disciplinarian to crack down. That explains the Portal Defense Force presence.”
“My name is Morgan Cruzal,” the woman said. “I will be your new headmistress. In order to avoid any further unfortunate events at the school, we have implemented several new rules this year. You will also find curfews posted for initiates, restrictions on techniques, and other safety codes posted in the common areas. Please review and remember them.”
That drew groans from most of the upperclassmen.
“But, first,” Headmistress Cruzal said, “I’d like to take a moment to congratulate our champion for his perfect record during the tour of the Five Dragons Challenge.”
The headmistress crossed the dining room with flowing steps that carried her to me far more quickly than I would’ve thought possible. Her long, thin fingers closed warmly over my left shoulder, and I couldn’t help but return her beaming smile.
“Initiates, this is Mr. Jace Warin.” She gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze and pulled me closer to her side. Her ornate gray robes did nothing to shield me from her warmth. It was like standing too close to a working stove. “Mr. Warin served the school better than any champion in my memory. We would all do well to follow his example this year.”
She stepped back from me, and I was struck by just how beautiful she really was. When she smiled at me, I felt the first glimmers of something I’d been searching for since the first day I stepped through the school’s front doors.
Acceptance.
She put her hands together with vigorous applause. I basked in the warmth of her praise, then felt my cheeks redden as the other students stood from their tables to join her. Everyone was looking at me with what seemed like real pride.
For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like an outsider.
The Rooms
WHILE THE NEW CLASS of students scrambled to grab their food before they were yanked away to get their clan assignments from Mama Weaver, the rest
