Aunt Serena nodded. “Yes, and I want her to get settled in with as little fuss as possible. You understand how important it is that she not draw much attention.”
“I understand completely. I’m glad we had a chance to meet before you started your studies here, Rory,” said Professor Dekela. “I am quite sure you will be happy here.”
“It’s imperative that her true identity remain hidden,” Aunt Serena stressed.
They didn’t tell me that the old professor knew who I really was. How much did he know? Did he know I was a fae-mage?
Professor Dekela nodded, walked over to the shelf, and took down an old scroll. “This will help you get acquainted with the school and its rules and regulations, and it will also give you an idea about the grounds, in case you need some help getting to your classes.” He handed me the scroll. “I will send for you soon, so we can have a little talk after a few days have passed and you have had a chance to settle in.”
I took the scroll and thanked him politely.
“Your aunt will show you to your house,” Professor Dekela stated. “She knows it well, as your cousin Erien has been here for a year already.”
I followed Aunt Serena down the flower-lined paths to my dorm house under a burnished pink sky. I wanted to get settled in as quickly as possible. “Where did you go to school, Aunt Serena?”
“I was homeschooled.”
My eyes widened. “But why didn’t you go to the academy too?”
Aunt Serena gave me a half-smile, but I could sense sadness behind it. “Although I am born of a magical bloodline, I am one of the many not gifted with the magic of the mages.”
I was stunned. I had never really thought of asking Aunt Serena about this. I always assumed she had magic like everyone else. It was going to take a while for me to get used to this world. There were so many things to remember and learn.
Finally, we reached my dorm house. It was a fairly large stone house with lush green ivy and twisted creepers running all over the walls. It had a large, gated garden and a picket fence with a sign that read Mulberry House.
“This is where you will live for the year,” Aunt Serena said. “Do not let the other girls convince you to break the rules. They do that to newcomers here sometimes. Professor Dekela is very strict about how you conduct yourself on the school grounds.”
“How much does the professor know?” I asked Aunt Serena before we went in.
Aunt Serena gave me a pointed look. “He knows enough to keep you safe, but not everything.”
“But I thought Uncle Gabriel said not to tell anyone else,” I said. “Too many people know.”
“The mastermage only knows who your parents are,” said Aunt Serena softly. “He doesn’t know about your other powers or the amulet. My father felt that it was important for the professor to know enough to keep an eye on you and see that you are safe. The Dekela family were staunch supporters of your father. He will not betray you.”
I nodded and gingerly climbed the steps up to the large white stone house, which was to be my home for the next year. It was charming and quaint, and I was quite sure I would be happy here.
My dormitory was full of girls of all shapes and sizes. It was buzzing like a beehive when I got there, but when I entered, everyone stopped to look at me.
The new girl!
I looked down at my feet. I hated people looking at me and talking about me; it made me feel very awkward.
A girl wearing blue mage robes introduced herself as a third-year student and showed me to my room, which was situated on the first floor of the house where the first-year mages lived. Aunt Serena left me to unpack after a quick farewell hug.
My room was comfortable and airy, with a big window sporting green and yellow curtains. Two white, wrought-iron beds covered with cozy white blankets with sunflowers embroidered on them; two wooden closets painted white; a matching chest of drawers; and a fluffy, green rug completed the room.
I stowed the trunk that Aunt Serena had given me under the bed and put the rest of my things in the drawers and closet. I wondered who my roommate would be. Whoever it was already had her closet full and had taken the top two drawers of the dresser. At least she had left me the last two.
After I finished unpacking, my roommate walked in. She was the same age as me and also in the first year. She had long, wavy golden-brown hair the color of fresh honey and was wearing green robes over thick tights and a long white shirt belted at the waist.
“I’m Vivienne Foxmoor,” said my roommate, taking off her robes and flinging them over a chair, “and you are?”
“Um, Rory.” I felt like kicking myself for hesitating.
“Hi Rory.” Vivienne bounced herself on her bed, over by the window. “Where are you from? What house do you belong to?”
When I looked flustered, she elaborated. “What’s your family name?”
I explained to her that I was from Andrysia and how my parents had died, and that now I was a ward of the duke.
Vivienne raised her eyebrows. “So you are a Silverthorne!”
I looked down. “Well, not exactly. I mean, I’m only a ward of the duke, not really a Silverthorne.”
She waved her hand in a shooing gesture. “Being a ward is like being his daughter or granddaughter here in Eldoren,” Vivienne explained. “You are now a Silverthorne, so get used to it.”
I nodded, not knowing what to say to this. Vivienne seemed nice, and she was quite knowledgeable about the city of Neris and the nobility. Her father was the fifth earl of Foxmoor, and she had two older brothers, Nathan and Fredrick. Besides her father, she was the only
