Page 11 of After Darkness Falls

"First, communication,” Blair said. “As you know, phones don't work on the grounds, but they do work in Adairford and in the woods."

"Adairford?" she repeated.

"The miniscule town outside the walls,” said Blair. “There are stores, but they sell the basics, and that’s it. The dorm is at the end of the village, and there's a bar, a gym, a restaurant…you know, so we don't die of boredom. The closest town is over a hundred miles east, and there's no city anywhere near us, so basically everyone hangs out there unless they get invited to a party on the hill.” She was quick to add, “Don't wait up for your invite, though. I've been here since I was a freshman five years ago and I stepped on the hill, like, once. Anyway, I was saying, no phone. For communication, we use these."

She stopped in front of a wide door. Chloe's jaw hit the floor. "You're kidding."

"I wish,” Blair retorted with a wince.

"For real?" Chloe couldn’t believe her eyes.

"Yeah, I know, welcome to the Middle Ages. Leave the technology at the doors."

"That'sawesome," Chloe said, stepping inside what appeared to be a giant drafty bird cage where hundreds of ravens were hanging out, entirely free to leave through the dozens of open windows. "Hello, birdies," she cooed.

Some of the birds rushed to her, flying around, and the most curious one actually landed on her arm.

"This is so cool. So, we send each other messages with ravens? How do we do that?"

But talkative as she was, Blair didn't answer at first. Chloe turned to find her still at the door. A short, plump man stood next to her.

"You don't," he stated, somewhat short. "You write your letters and clearly state a destination.Isend the birds."

Oh. She'd overstepped, apparently.

"Sorry. They're just so cute and friendly."

Blair looked like she was trying her best not to laugh. The short man appeared to have suddenly swallowed bitter lemons.

"Well, you wouldn't know how to spell them to reach the correct destination, so it's my job."

"Of course." Chloe nodded for good measure. "I can't do any spells at all. Regular," she said, pointing to her own chest with her free hand, since the small bird was still perched on her other arm.

That response seemed to appease the prickly dude.

"Very well. If you'd state your name, I shall add you to the register. I'll need a drop of blood or a strand of hair, too."

Stepping out of the bird house, she combed her fingers through her hair a few times without success. Her hair didn't shed much.

"Do you have a needle or something?"

Blair replied, "No need," before lifting her hand and hovering it over Chloe’s.

A warm sensation brushed her fingers, and Chloe saw a strange golden light emanating from the woman's palm. Then, feeling a very minor prickle, she watched in wonder as a drop of blood appeared on her middle finger.

Chloe lifted her hand toward the mail guy.

"What should I do with it?"

"Nothing," he replied, with a wave of his hand.

The blood disappeared. "I can't physically store every student’s blood trace. It'd be too dangerous. Can you imagine? If someone got their hands on the register, they could track anyone in it with their blood. I just store them in my mind."

Chloe was going to pretend she understood the mechanics of that. It sounded like he had a bunch of files in his brain, and she took the information at face value.

"Doesn't that make your brain dangerous?" she asked.

The man smiled, and not in a nice way.

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