Ashley shrugged. "When I asked, he didn't say much more about it, but after a while he did talk about how much I stood to gain from membership. You see, my grandfather is a rich dude, but my parents aren't. They gave up their inheritance when they disowned him. I never really understood it until that moment. I almost decided not to go to Coterie, but if I didn't join this Hall, then he wouldn't pay for any of them, and it would kill me not be able to use magic."
"You still haven't explained the Cabal," said Pi.
"That's really all I know. But that's not the point. The point is that these rich and powerful people look out for each other and make sure they stay in power," said Ashley.
"Great," said Pi, "and I have no connections to make me valuable and Alton has tons."
"If you really did summon that demon lord, and get the patron to find you a sponsor, you might have more friends than you think. Magic is a form of power, and you're crazy good. Don't underestimate yourself," said Ashley.
They arrived at the Obelisk and went back to their rooms. Pi couldn't help but feel like she'd fallen out of the safety of her nest into the dangerous jungle and everything wanted to kill her. She also decided she needed to learn a lot more about the Coterie of Mages so she'd be more prepared. Luckily, she knew the perfect person for information, and besides, he'd summoned her for another job.
Chapter Eighteen
The inside of Arcanium smelled like heaven to Aurie. The massive building reminded her of a monastery crossed with Notre Dame, but the heart was the Library of Alexandria. The Arcanium, besides being one of the first founders of the Hundred Halls, had the largest collection of magical tomes in the world.
Illuminated dust motes from stained glass windows high above shone down on the rows and rows of books before her. Aurie reveled in the musty smell of paper and ink.
Patron Gray had told her how to find the initiate's quarters in the west wing. She moved through the rows at a leisurely pace, touching the bindings with her fingertips, reading titles such as Gritziski's Catalog of Garden Spirits, Aracnomancy, and One Thousand and One Magical Uses for Honey.
She crossed through the map room. A massive globe, half covered in shadow, floated in the center of the room. She'd heard that looking at it was like seeing the earth from space, much like an astronaut. The description did not prepare her for the quivering joy she felt.
Aurie found where the city of Invictus was located on the east coast, resisting an urge to touch for fear of upsetting the magic that sustained the globe. Peering up close, the city came into view, as if she were zooming into Google Earth. The tiny Spire looked like a needle sticking out of the hub-like city.
Leaning back, she took in the continent. The southwest was covered in an eternal brown, a result of the decades-long blight. The Rockies were kissed with snowfall. She walked around the sphere towards the dark side. Lights speckled across the surface. Major cities like Beijing and Tokyo sparkled like jewels. Forest fires in eastern Russia smoldered like burning leaves, the smoke obscuring nearby cities.
On the far wall was a map of Invictus that stretched from side to side. She thought a nest of ants had taken residence on it until she realized they were tiny cars and gondolas, moving across the surface.
Aurie heard a woman giving a lecture from an open doorway at the back of the next wing. She peeked her head through to find a sunken auditorium. Seats went down for thirty rows.
Professor Mali was an older woman in a wheelchair with a thick head of steel gray hair tamed into a braid. Her pants were folded over around the knees where there were no more legs. She was rolling back and forth in front of the seats, her hands busy adding flourishes to her speech while her chair moved on its own.
"...the city fae, or maetrie as they are commonly called, fall into one of three courts: jade, diamond, or ruby. Unlike their counterparts, they interact freely with humans, especially in Invictus. Some even going so far as joining a hall, though that is rare..."
The professor's wheelchair came to an abrupt stop. She gazed up the incline to where Aurie was standing.
"Who are you and why are you standing in my class?" asked the professor like a drill sergeant from the Marines.
Twenty heads turned to face her. The sudden wave of attention made her want to crawl back out of the room. She held up her hand, then realizing she didn't know what to do with it, shoved it behind her back.
"I'm Aurie. I joined Arcanium today," she said, cringing at how stupid it sounded as the words left her lips.
"You're late," said the professor.
Aurie jawed at the air for a moment. "You see, at the trials, I, uhm..."
"Not the trials, girl. Today. Semyon informed me that I would receive a new student. At the beginning of class. You are late. If this is how you plan to treat your studies, you won't last long in Arcanium," said Professor Mali.
Aurie would have explained that Patron Gray had said nothing about when she was supposed to arrive, but could see that the professor would only take excuses as a negative.
"I'll try to do better next time," she said.
"Try?" said the professor, looking like she'd just eaten a spoonful of manure. "You'll do more than try. You'll fucking be on time or you won't be here. Do you understand me, initiate?"
"Yes, ma'am. I mean professor," said Aurie, and she quickly grabbed a seat.
"I didn't say you could sit. Since you weren't here at the beginning of class, you can wait outside until we're done. Then I'll show you the initiates' quarters," she said.
If she'd had a tail, she would have tucked it between her legs as she slunk out of the door. The class continued while Aurie stood outside. She listened intently, not wanting to miss anything.
Despite the dressing down, Aurie was buoyant. She'd spent so many years teaching herself magic from books she got at the library that listening to a lecture, even from outside of the room, was a treasure.
About an hour later, class was dismissed. As the other initiates filed out, she saw a few familiar faces from the trials, including that cute redheaded guy that had partnered with Pi. She received mostly friendly nods. She could see the curiosity in their gazes.
Then Aurie was struck by an expression so sour, it made her double take. Violet Cardwell stormed out of the auditorium, her perfume choking Aurie as it wafted past.
Aurie couldn't believe it. How did Violet Cardwell end up in Arcanium? She didn't have long to contemplate before Professor Mali came rolling out. The professor waited until the other initiates had left before speaking.
"Semyon told me you were an exemplary student. He's been known to have moments of poor judgment. I hope this is not one of those," said the professor.
"I promise you I will work as hard as I can," said Aurie, annoyed at the pleading tone in her voice.
The professor wheeled down the hallway, her voice trailing after, "Your words are meaningless to me. I will believe it when I see it."
The professor explained the layout of the three wings and various floors, the rules, and the expectations for class. It was clear that she had this speech memorized, but she did not sound bored. She gave them as if Aurie were the President coming for a tour.
"As for your room, your addition is something of a problem. We are completely full at the moment. Already initiates are two to a room; therefore we'll have to improvise," said the professor, rolling to a dingy brown door tucked away in the back of the dorm wing.
At the professor's urging Aurie opened the door to find a janitorial closet. Brooms, buckets, and cleaning supplies filled the messy room. It had the smell of old dirty mops.
"You can drag whatever's in the room into the hall. I'll have someone take it away. A bed will be brought up before evening. Do you need anything else?" asked Professor Mali.
"No," said Aurie. "Thank you. I'm happy to be here."
"Happiness is not a requirement for my students. Success is," said the professor, before rolling away.
Aurie threw her backpack against the wall and sta
rted hauling supplies out of the closet.
Once the professor had left the wing, the other first years came out of their rooms like frightened woodland animals checking to make sure the hunter was gone.
"She can be pretty rough," said the first initiate to arrive. It was the guy in the martial arts uniform from the trials. "The name's Deshawn."
"I'm Aurie," she said, then rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you probably already know that."
The other initiates introduced themselves. The names were a blur: Jacqueline, Xi, Drake, Daniel, and so on. Aurie only counted thirteen. She had a good idea where the rest of them were since Violet hadn't shown her face.
"So what was your pick order?" asked Deshawn.
"Pick order?"
"The halls. That accident didn't rattle anything loose, did it?" he asked.
Mention of the trials reminded her that Deshawn had been on Violet's team. She recognized another member of Violet's squad amongst the group. Deshawn seemed to react to Aurie's sudden discomfort.
"Hey, sorry about that. I was just optimizing my chances of getting into the Halls," he said.
"It's okay. It was a strategically sound move. Arcanium was my only pick," said Aurie.
The other initiates reacted as if she'd just sprouted a second head.
"Are you nuts?" asked Deshawn. "You signed up for this?"
"Of course," said Aurie. "Didn't you all?"
It was clear by their faces that Arcanium hadn't been their first pick, and probably not even in their top ten. They each explained that they'd only put Arcanium on the list to make sure they got into a hall, but for each, it'd been near the bottom. It explained Violet's presence at Arcanium, as well.
"Where'd you all finish?" she asked.
"Yeah, we thought of that. All over the place, really. We can't make sense of it," he said.
"What hall was your top pick? Enforcers?" she asked him.
His lip twitched. "Dramatics. I thought the uniform would help me get picked in any team events."
Everyone else added their first choices—they were all from minor schools.
"Dinner's soon," said Deshawn. "Let's get you moved in."
The group made quick work of the janitorial closet. While they were cleaning it out, a fourth year came walking down the hallway with a bed balanced on his hand like a serving platter. He set the bed into the back of the closet, whispered to it, and left the room with no further comment.
Afterwards, she joined them at dinner, which she thought meant that she would be eating. When they led her into the kitchen and put her on dish duty, her stomach groaned in protest. After the older students were finished with dinner, Aurie was finally given a chance to eat. It was the best meal she'd ever eaten.
Chapter Nineteen
Light jazz haunted the Glass Cabaret. The booths were filled with customers, but Pi couldn't make them out. An enchantment obscured their voices and faces, which gave her an idea of the kind of people that frequented the bar.
She waited at the end, knowing full well that Radoslav had seen her. He was talking with a trio of men in sharp suits that looked like they needed Tommy guns tucked under their armpits. They rippled when she looked at them. It wasn't like the shield that the Coterie patron used, but she had to concentrate to see details.
After they left, Radoslav appeared at her end of the bar. At first glance, his eyes were night black, but after she looked a second time, they were gray.
"What court?" asked Pi, with a nod towards the other side of the bar where the trio had been.
Radoslav's lip collected a well-honed sneer. "Would you ask a woman her age?"
"The Jade Court, then," she said, knowing she was right when he changed the subject.
"Was our bargain worth it?" he asked.
He was handsome. Model handsome, the kind in a perfume ad that glowers at the camera with a detached amusement.
She felt compelled to speak right away, but fought it on principle.
"You said you had a job for me," she said, staring him straight in the eyes.
"You're no fun," he said, idly wiping the table with his pristine white rag. Pi wondered if he had all the surfaces enchanted to resist dust, because everything gleamed.
"I need something delivered," he said.
"Isn't that rather mundane? You could get a courier to do that," she said.
He leaned forward. A puff of breath hit her face. It had a metallic tint to it. Suddenly, the words she'd held back before came tumbling out despite her revulsion.
"For now, but I have to survive first," she said, fighting the words as they came out.
After the compulsion was over, he said, "I need to be able to trust said courier. Since I can make you answer me truthfully, among other things, I will not lay awake at night wondering."
"I didn't think you slept," she said. "And I wouldn't do that."
"Spare me the innocent act," he said. "You signed up for Coterie, which implies a certain moral flexibility in your quest for power."
The accusation stung more than a slap across the face. She wanted to think that she would use her power differently than the others, but until she proved that, no one would believe her.
"Speaking of Coterie. I'd like to trade for information," she said quietly.
He snapped his fingers and the air around them shimmered, obscuring their conversation. "Trade? What could you have that would be worth a trade?"
"What if I told you the name of the Coterie patron?"
He gave a dismissive shrug. "It's not so difficult to attain if you know where to look. And I already have."
"That name is a fake, attached to a fake history," she said. "I checked. This is his real one. It took a bit of digging to verify once I acquired it, but I'm certain."
He showed his perfect white teeth. "How did you acquire it?"
"During the binding, when I joined Coterie," she said.
"You shouldn't have been able to do that," he said, gravely serious.
"That's what I thought too. While it's not uncommon for little details like a craving for their favorite food or speech patterns to transfer over during that moment, something that important should have never reached my mind," she said.
"Then how do you explain it?" he asked.
"I don't," she said. "But I have the name and I want to trade it for information."
He surged forward and did the trick with the air in her face. "Tell me his true name."
Pi gave him a cat-bird smile. "I added a little protection of my own. You won't be getting it that easily."
"I had to try," he said. "But if you want your information, I need to verify that the name is real. Think of it as a credit check. You give me the name, I check it out. If it is real, I'll answer your questions, whatever they are."
Pi knew that she was underselling the patron's name, but it was worth it to be generous with Radoslav, and to remind him that she could be useful.
"Deal," she said, and leaned forward and whispered it into his ear. A strange look passed across his face before he nodded.
"The delivery?"
He shoved an ornate box across the bar. The edges had gold filigree runes. There was, no doubt, a binding on it. Something small and light shifted inside, bumping against the inner walls.
A piece of paper was tucked into her hand. An address in the second ward was listed in a neat scrawl.
"I don't want to be transporting drugs or anything illegal," said Pi.
"You should have thought of that before you signed up," he said.
Pi pushed the box back across the table.
Radoslav snorted lightly. She hoped he was amused. "I acquire things. In this case, something is being made for a client. I'll need you to come back and deliver another one every six weeks, four total."
She collected the box and slipped it into the canvas carryall hanging over her shoulder.
Radoslav held her with his eyes. She waited for the eventual comment.
"Before you go," he said, glancing a
round to make sure no one was watching. He put a spell on her. Not like a human mage with gestures and voice shaping the magic. He was city fae. His womb had been concrete and steel and glass. Smoke leaked from his lips as if he'd just taken a drag off a cigarette, then he blew it out, enveloping her in his magic. The smell reminded her of gasoline and skyscrapers.
"I didn't know you cared so much," she told him, trying not to cough.
"Keep your hood up," he said without a trace of inflection. "Make the delivery. No messing around."
It wasn't until she was a few blocks away near the train station that she understood the nature of his enchantment. She bumped into a guy in a Ramones T-shirt with big round white headphones on, and when he looked at her, he reacted with surprise as if she wasn't supposed to be standing there.
On the train, she traced the outline of the box through the canvas bag. Radoslav had assured her that it wasn't illegal, but she didn't know how much she could trust him. But there were too many people on the train for her to pull it out and examine the protective magics.
Pi had never been to the second ward because it was the entertainment district, and they'd never had the money to enjoy the sort of events that went on there. When famous bands visited the city, they played the Glitterdome.
Evening brought out the tourists, who wanted to experience the city of sorcery. They carried little replicas of the Spire that lit up like colorful icicles, or threw illusionary powder into the air—summoning the images of Siberian dragons, or swamp hags, or sea giants.
The buildings gave Pi the impression she was at an amusement park. The Great Garbanzo, Master Illusionist, was playing at the Orpheum Theater, which took up a whole block. Jillian Garbanzo was the Dramatics Hall most famous alumnus. After a worldwide tour, he'd set up shop in the city.
She found her destination at the edge of the first ward, as if the owner had wanted to be a part of the old money district but hadn't been allowed. The building looked like someone had dropped a pile of steel pylons into the earth, then connected them with glass.
A couple of muscular security guards wearing sunglasses—despite it being nighttime—stood outside the estate. They looked right through Radoslav's enchantment, staring at her the whole way up the path. When she saw the pins in the shape of a club on their lapels, she knew why. They'd been trained by the Protector's Hall.
Trials of Magic (The Hundred Halls Vol.1) Page 12