Page 16 of Baneful Magick

‘You’re horrible,’I griped, rushing out of the bathroom and snagging my wallet.

‘But honest, beastie.’

‘You’re honestnow, Cassius. You haven’t always been.’

He didn’t respond to that, but I swore I could feel a pang of sadness before he quieted in my mind. Ignoring the disturbing silence, I walked out into the common area, where all three of my roommates stopped talking to look at me.

Zhara-Rose smiled at me as she stood up, her flowy sunflower dress swaying with each step toward me. “And I thought I was overdressed.”

The sleeveless dress showed off her tan and sprinkles of freckles all over. She also had on brown ankle boots that looked amazing with her outfit. No makeup in sight, and her curly hair seemed even more untamed. She threaded an arm through mine, and although I wasn’t used to having friends, let alone one who’d be so free with casual touch, it felt nice.

Aizel was slightly dressed up compared to his brother, but he kept the same color scheme. Black slacks, a white button-down shirt, the top two buttons undone, and shiny black dress shoes completed the look. The incubi fell into step on either side of us, genuine smiles on their faces.

“Beautiful women by our sides on the first day. We are lucky men.”

“Don’t get any ideas,” the wolf shifter warned Aizel with a light growl.

“My brother has plenty of ideas, Zhara-Rose. Better to just ignore him. You’ll get used to it,” Echo joked as we made our way downstairs and outside, ignoring the stares of other students. All the students were talking a mile a minute, trying to figure out what would be happening next, but the four of us just calmly walked out of the door like it was a normal day.

“Just Zhara is fine,” the redhead said as we walked outside. “The double name is a mouthful most of the time.”

“Noted,” I told her as I looked around. “Any idea where we’re going?”

“None.” Aizel lazily grinned, sticking his hands in his front pockets, while his brother glanced around, watching the other students milling about outside.

“Should we follow the smell?” Zhara asked before inhaling deeply. “Don’t get used to this. Let’s go.” She took the lead, confidently weaving in and out of the bustling packs of students. I shared a quick look with the brothers and hurried after her, not wanting to miss out on breakfast.

I didn’t pay attention to my surroundings, too focused on the prospect of food and keeping my eye on my roommate. Zhara walked straight across a big circular grassy space toward what I assumed were the lecture halls and a huge stone building.

The double doors had to be at least twenty feet tall. They were thrown open to show a busy dining hall filled with students and staff. It was hard to wrap my mind around all the different supes at the school. In just a few blinks, I identified fae, witches, and even a few centaurs in the far corner that stood high above most of the students. I was used to this melting pot at home, but the academy I had graduated from was a witch-only school, so I was only accustomed to this diversity in small doses.

All these supernaturals in one place… I wondered how the conservatory managed to keep itself hidden from the scrutiny of humans. We were all over the world, especially the United States, but humans had no idea of our existence, and most species wanted to keep it that way. But all this power in one place… That would take a lot to shield.

“Isla!” I jumped when Zhara yelled my name above the noise of everyone around us. “Any idea what you want? It looks like they have everything here.”

“I need coffee. I’ll start there then figure out food,” Aizel muttered, scanning the place.

I shuddered dramatically at that. “Keep your nasty bean water. I need some tea.”

“Bean water?!”

“How are we supposed to pay?” Echo added in, paying no mind to the way his brother dramatically clutched his chest.

At that moment, a loud chime rang out, making everyone fall silent. A second later, a magickally enhanced voice started speaking.

“New students! Welcome to Greywood Conservatory. We hope that you settled in last night and found your belongings were delivered to your rooms this morning. Help yourself to whatever food you want from the dining hall then proceed to Kastor Hall for a welcome speech. There, you’ll get a brief overview of the school, your schedules, and we will answer some questions as we see fit. The doors will lock promptly at noon, so be there on time. We will not unlock the doors if you fail to arrive in a timely manner.”

The chime sounded a second time, and the hall was silent for a full thirty seconds before the roar of talking filled the space again.

Pulling out my phone, I saw that it was ten o’clock. Two hours was plenty of time to eat and get to where we needed to be.

“I’ll grab us a table so we have a place to sit,” Zhara offered. “Then, when someone sits, I’ll get something for myself.”

“I’ll come with you,” Echo said. Aizel shrugged and immediately hurried off in search of his coffee.

“Let’s look by the windows,” Echo suggested, and Zhara nodded in agreement. Both of them headed off to find a place for us to sit while I waded into the chaos.

The place was insane but efficient. After walking around for a little bit, I found a serving line for a bakery and ordered ablueberry muffin, banana, and a large cup of breakfast tea. The server got it together quickly, and I was off before I even realized I had it all.

---