Which meant Zephyrus had probably seen it.
Oh, Mother Earth… Warmth touched every inch of my being at the thought of what he’d witnessed.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem all that keen to mention it.
“We’re done shopping,” he said instead, turning on a wave of superiority, an array of bags forming around him. “I assume that’s your cape of choice. Same with the wand. The other items will be in your wardrobe by the time we get back.” He glanced at my boots and skirt. “A little schoolgirl for our trip back, but I doubt anyone will notice. Let’s go.”
“Wait, what wand?” I asked. “I didn’t pick one.”
“Check your pocket, Aflora. One already picked you.”
I patted the side of my cape, my eyes widening. “They do that?”
He just gave me a flat look and gestured with his chin toward a mirror. Assuming he meant for me to walk through it, I did and found myself in the cloakroom once more.
My cape billowed around me as I twisted in a sharp circle. “How…?”
“You have so much to learn about our world,” Zephyrus replied as he retrieved his cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders with a flourish. “Also, a wand isn’t a magical being. It’s an extension of our power.”
With a wave of his hand, a keypad appeared, and he punched in a code that I caught this time. Of course, it was to the place I didn’t really want to go, so not all that helpful.
“We use them as a conduit,” he continued, his arm sliding around my shoulders to hold me close while the portal began to whirl around us. “As I said, it’s an extension of your power. It helps you focus on a single book on a shelf rather than an entire collection.”
Cawing pierced my skull as the crows took over, welcoming us back to the Academy grounds.
In minutes, they were back to their rocky forms, dotting the courtyard.
Flames ignited along the paths again, illuminating the otherwise quiet campus.
“When do students start to arrive?” I asked as he led the way back to Kolstov’s building.
“Some are already here but keeping to themselves. The majority will return in five days’ time to attend the annual autumn bonfire.” He flicked his wrist, sending the bags ahead in a train that moved toward the residence. “Let’s take a tour before heading back. We can stop by the cafeteria as well and grab something to eat.”
My stomach grumbled at the idea, agreeing.
Aside from the tea he’d forced on me after waking up, I hadn’t eaten at all.
“Just be warned,” he added, already walking. “The food on Academy grounds is of the human variety. So either you’re going to have to learn some meal-conjuring spells or you’re going to need to change your tastes. I recommended the latter.” He snapped his fingers, a torch appearing in his hand. “Now try to keep up, Aflora. I’m going to give you a crash course in Academy life, and I won’t be repeating myself.”
Chapter Ten
Zeph
I did not miss this place.
The food.
The lounging crows.
The general aura of misery.
In a week, this place would be the definition of hell, brimming with students all eager to continue their studies.
>
I envied them.
My entire life had been determined before my birth, my duty to a family I’d grown to loathe. Anything and everything Malik Nacht told me to do, I did.