matters, Seknecus alwayskept a piece of paper pinned outside his office door. It was referred to simply as, “The List.” Any student with waning magic who entered the doors of St. Luck’s was obligated under demon law to put their name on The List.
I walked quickly, took the steps three at a time, and arrived outside of Waldron Seknecus’ door breathless and shaking. There it was. The List. The thing I’d spent the last four weeks—well, really my entire life—avoiding. I stared at it long and hard. It was incredibly mundane for something with such a monumental purpose. For something that would turn my whole world upside down. A few black pen strokes spelling out five names on a piece of plain white paper. I couldn’t even use lack of a pen as an excuse. Some helpful person had conveniently tied one to a string and tacked it next to The List. Not wanting to stall any longer, I reached up to add my name, but my hand was shaking so badly I couldn’t write.
I lowered my hand and it grazed something sharp sticking out of my pocket. The corner of Night’s letter. I’d forgotten all about it. I pulled it out to read. Night’s familiar script raced across the page.
Noon—
I made it to Maize, the Demeter Tribe’s southern outpost, with little incident. As you may have guessed, my appearance here—without any introduction—kicked up some dust. It’s mostly settled now. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you my plans before I left. I wasn’t sure I’d really go through with it until I got here.
Don’t wait to start your life, Noon. Peter may never find the Reversal Spell, and even if he did, who knows how it would work. Leave the believing to the Angels. Those in the Host have to do what we were born to do, as Luck would have it.
I hope this reaches you before Bryde’s Day. You know what you need to do.
Night
I folded the letter back up and put it in my pocket. A feeling of acceptance, if not peace, came over me.
I could do this.
Before I could change my mind again, I scrawled my name across the bottom of The List.
It was done.
W hen I got back to my room, Fitz was pacing in front of the window and Ivy was sitting on her bed biting her nails.
“Where have you been?” Ivy asked. She rushed over to me and gave me a great big hug, and then, just as quickly, she let go and shook me by the shoulders. “Seriously, where were you? There’s been another demon attack. And this one happened
on St. Luck’s campus
. We heard there’s going to be an announcement posted about it sometime tomorrow. Fitz and I were worried! We thought something might have happened to you when you didn’t show for dinner.”
Her gaze swept over me as if she were searching for signs of an attack. Probably because of everything going on at that moment—my recent declaration, this new news that there’d been another attack, the fact that Ari had trampled my trust into the dust—Ivy and Fitz’s concern for my well-being almost made me feel like crying.
“Noon, you’re not hurt, are you?” Fitz asked, leaping up from Ivy’s bed where he’d been sitting.
I shook my head and motioned for him to sit back down.
“Then what’s wrong? What happened to you?” Ivy asked, stepping back.
“Tell me about the attack,” I said, ignoring Ivy’s questions. We’d get to my unwelcome news soon enough.
I sat down on the edge of the bed facing Fitz. “What happened? Who was attacked? And when?”
“We’re not sure yet who it was,” Ivy said. “But, about an hour ago, some second year Hyrkes heard screaming outside of Corpus Justica. They ran out to see what was going on and saw a woman dressed in a Mederi’s green traveling cloak engulfed—that was the word they used—by a dark mist. Shewas struggling against it, but, before they could reach her, the mist burst into a fireball and she was gone, mist and all.”
Corpus Justica was across the street from the New Babylon train station. If the Mederi was wearing a traveling cloak, it
I walked quickly, took the steps three at a time, and arrived outside of Waldron Seknecus’ door breathless and shaking. There it was. The List. The thing I’d spent the last four weeks—well, really my entire life—avoiding. I stared at it long and hard. It was incredibly mundane for something with such a monumental purpose. For something that would turn my whole world upside down. A few black pen strokes spelling out five names on a piece of plain white paper. I couldn’t even use lack of a pen as an excuse. Some helpful person had conveniently tied one to a string and tacked it next to The List. Not wanting to stall any longer, I reached up to add my name, but my hand was shaking so badly I couldn’t write.
I lowered my hand and it grazed something sharp sticking out of my pocket. The corner of Night’s letter. I’d forgotten all about it. I pulled it out to read. Night’s familiar script raced across the page.
Noon—
I made it to Maize, the Demeter Tribe’s southern outpost, with little incident. As you may have guessed, my appearance here—without any introduction—kicked up some dust. It’s mostly settled now. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you my plans before I left. I wasn’t sure I’d really go through with it until I got here.
Don’t wait to start your life, Noon. Peter may never find the Reversal Spell, and even if he did, who knows how it would work. Leave the believing to the Angels. Those in the Host have to do what we were born to do, as Luck would have it.
I hope this reaches you before Bryde’s Day. You know what you need to do.
Night
I folded the letter back up and put it in my pocket. A feeling of acceptance, if not peace, came over me.
I could do this.
Before I could change my mind again, I scrawled my name across the bottom of The List.
It was done.
W hen I got back to my room, Fitz was pacing in front of the window and Ivy was sitting on her bed biting her nails.
“Where have you been?” Ivy asked. She rushed over to me and gave me a great big hug, and then, just as quickly, she let go and shook me by the shoulders. “Seriously, where were you? There’s been another demon attack. And this one happened
on St. Luck’s campus
. We heard there’s going to be an announcement posted about it sometime tomorrow. Fitz and I were worried! We thought something might have happened to you when you didn’t show for dinner.”
Her gaze swept over me as if she were searching for signs of an attack. Probably because of everything going on at that moment—my recent declaration, this new news that there’d been another attack, the fact that Ari had trampled my trust into the dust—Ivy and Fitz’s concern for my well-being almost made me feel like crying.
“Noon, you’re not hurt, are you?” Fitz asked, leaping up from Ivy’s bed where he’d been sitting.
I shook my head and motioned for him to sit back down.
“Then what’s wrong? What happened to you?” Ivy asked, stepping back.
“Tell me about the attack,” I said, ignoring Ivy’s questions. We’d get to my unwelcome news soon enough.
I sat down on the edge of the bed facing Fitz. “What happened? Who was attacked? And when?”
“We’re not sure yet who it was,” Ivy said. “But, about an hour ago, some second year Hyrkes heard screaming outside of Corpus Justica. They ran out to see what was going on and saw a woman dressed in a Mederi’s green traveling cloak engulfed—that was the word they used—by a dark mist. Shewas struggling against it, but, before they could reach her, the mist burst into a fireball and she was gone, mist and all.”
Corpus Justica was across the street from the New Babylon train station. If the Mederi was wearing a traveling cloak, it
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