Page 63 of Until the End of Ever
Malice Avenue, through the gate of Loki, only housed three institutions. The Frejr House was the only hospital in the underside. There were several smaller healing houses every other avenue, but any serious ailments were treated in the four-floor edifices, twice as large as the Hall of Truce above ground, and just as opulent. Opposite, there was the town hall, though any true underside event took place in the town circle. However vast and magnificent, the hall wasn’t nearly large enough to house all of the underside. It was the place where the leaders gathered to discuss community matters, before anything was shared with the vale. Damian held the Magister office in there.
Neither were as important as Night Academy.
They say it takes a village to raise a child; we unders took the adage literally. Night Academy was larger than the entire vale. I was certain even Ronan was incapable of naming every one of the large gothic halls.
Raised and educated by Cassius out of necessity in my young years, I’d never attended the kindergarten, elementary school, middle school or high school, let alone their dorms, so I didn’t know my way around a good half of the place.
Ronan’s carriage stopped in front of administration, one of the only lower buildings—as it wasn’t designed to comfortably fit hundreds of thousands of students, all of their professors and staffs. That meant this place gave a fairly good view of the entire campus with the dozens of high towers and domes, each grander and the last.
“This is insane. You could fit all of the vale heretwice, and it’s a school?”
I grinned, sliding my arm right behind the small of her back to encourage her to walk inside. And just maybe because I needed to make contact with her bare skin like I needed air. My palm buzzed with an excess amount of energy the moment I touched her, as usual.
“Each of the avenues through the gates have half as many inhabitants as the vale itself. That means a lot of people—and consequently, a lot of kids.”
Kleos sucked in a breath. “That makes no sense. I mean, if there are that many unders, why don’t you guy win every election, for one?”
I snorted, but the reply came from Ronan, greeting us with a brief smile. “We would. If elections were what one might call fair. Ah, Elias. Glad to have you with us. If you’d follow me.”
Kleos’s mouth fell open again. Taking pity on her, I brought my mouth close to her ear.
Damn all the hells, she smelled even better than usual.
“That’s Workplace Ronan. Spooky, I know, but you’ll get used to it.”
“He’s not smiling. Ronan’salwayssmiling,” she insisted, sounding completely confused.
I couldn’t blame her. I was pretty shocked the first time I’d witnessed that nonsense too. “Not at work, he doesn’t. The kids are between, well, three and twenty-something. And they all need to take him seriously.”
Somehow, he pulled it off. I never understood how they didn’t all see through the mask.
We followed them at a distance, Kleos attempting to not gasp each time we saw an interaction between Ronan and one of the students.
We escorted Elias to a room where two men and a woman were seated behind a desk, and I couldn’t help the wave of protectiveness that overtook me. I caught the eye of one of the professors, and saw them flinch at my glare.
“Professor Night,” a pretty girl said with a respectful bow just as Ronan closed the exam room.
Ronan smiled professionally—another mindfuck to anyone who knew him. His “I’m a Teacher”smile was nothing like the infuriating, knowing grin we all knew. “Good morning Manuella. How’s the essay on confirmed myths coming?”
She scrunched up her nose. “I mean, Professor Bucknail didn’t even properly defineconfirmed. The Loch Ness monster is confirmed as per many a tale and sightseeing, and we all know that was just kelpie sighting…”
Ronan crooked a brow. “That sounds like a promising conclusion, wouldn’t you say?”
“Oh!” the girl blinked. “Thank you, Professor.” Then she happily trotted away, beaming.
“You’re…goodat this,” Kleos accused him.
Because we were alone, the buffoon smirked and shrugged, back to himself. “No need to sound so shocked. I’ve taught kids since my PhD—for about five years last spring. Of course I’mgood.”
“B—but,” she stuttered. “You’re serious! And what’s with ProfessorNight?”
Ronan snorted. “You’d think I’d ask a bunch of non-German kids to spell Nachtigall? I’m not aconfirmedmonster. Now, you guys cut it a little close, so we’d better head to the auditorium.”
He set off towards the back exit of the administration building, and crossed the grounds to one of the main study halls, reserved for those specializing in theoretical magic—where he and I used to study.
“The official story,” Ronan explained as we followed, my hand still on Kleos’s back where I liked it , “is that we’re studying an unsolved criminal case—which is close to the truth. They’ve all signed a privacy contract in blood. I prepped the materials. Feel free to correct me as I present it. I’ve let the kids know we have a trainee from the Guard on hand to answer questions. You, Lucian, are the wallet. You offered a hundred golds to the most inventive, feasible theory.”
“Only a hundred?” I huffed. “Perish the thought. The world is going to think I’m going skint.”
