“The white robes are assigned to newcomers to Whitehall,” Madame Razz informed her, coldly. She plucked what looked like an oversized pair of panties off a railing, followed by an undershirt and a pair of socks, passing them all to Emily. “You are not permitted to wear anything else outside your room, particularly anything that may cause divisiveness among the students. You will be assigned five pairs of everything, which you will be responsible for. You will make sure that it is put out for wash, and then collected from the laundry room. If you lose anything, you will be charged for it.”
I love you too, Emily thought. The Grandmaster had seemed a decent guy, even if he had issued heavy-handed warnings. Madame Razz, on the other hand, appeared to be inclined to assume the worst of any of the girls. She had to have stepped right out of a boarding school from hell.
“You will change your bedding once every week,” Madame Razz continued, thrusting more packets of cloth at her. “Once changed, you will place the bedding to be washed along with your clothes. Luckily, the beds are standard, so we can interchange bedding if necessary. However, you are also responsible for removing any protective charms that you might have placed on the sheets. Accidentally leaving one in place to attack the laundry room staff will result in you being assigned to help them for at least a week.”
She picked a small amulet out of a bag and passed it over to Emily. “This is a guide to the interior of the building, which changes regularly,” she explained. “In the event that you need to go anywhere, hold the amulet in your left hand and speak the name of the place aloud. A ball of light will appear in the air and guide you to your destination. If it refuses to work, you don’t have permission to enter that part of the building yet. Certain parts will remain off-limits until you reach a particular level. Wear the amulet until you learn how to ask the school for directions using your own magic.”
Emily glanced down at the amulet, and then put it around her neck.
“Toothbrush, toothpaste, washing powder, watch, medical potions,” Madame Razz continued, piling bottles of liquid on top of the clothes Emily was already carrying. “During that time of the month, take one swig of this liquid per day and the effects will be much reduced. Be careful not to leave samples of your blood lying around; it maintains a link to you and someone with bad intentions can use it to hex you, or worse. There are charms to cut the link; until you learn them, hand any bloodstained items over to me for disposal.”
The watch was odd, seemingly out of place. Emily looked at it and realized, finally, that it was actually designed for someone to wear around their neck, or carried within their jacket, rather than worn on their wrist. It used clockwork, she decided, rather than anything electronic. She’d have to wind it regularly to keep it working.
Madame Razz finally picked a book up from one end of the room, then led Emily back into the corridor. Emily followed her, staggering slightly under the weight, until they reached a single door, no different from any of the others. Madame Razz rapped on it sharply, then opened it by tapping a finger against a rune that had been cut directly into the stone. Inside, there were three beds, two of them already made up and surrounded by piles of books and devices that Emily didn’t recognize. The third bed was nothing more than an uncomfortable looking mattress.
“Place the bedding on the bed,” Madame Razz ordered. “I assume you know how to make up your own bed?”
She sounded as if she didn’t expect Emily to be capable of tying her shoelaces without assistance, but Emily nodded. The last thing she’d wanted was her mother or stepfather coming into her room back home, so she’d taken care of everything from a very early age. It wasn’t actually hard to change a bed; it had always amused her that boys–and a number of girls–complained about how unfair it was that their parents made them do their own beds. They spent longer complaining than it took to make the bed.
“Yes,” Emily said.
“That’s yes, Madame,” Madame Razz snapped. She scowled at Emily then nodded towards the door in the rear of the room. “Toilet, washbasin and bath are in there. You’ll have to come to an agreement with your roommates about rotas for using the bath; I’d prefer not to have to enforce one. The water basin over in that corner contains drinking water; if you happen to want food or anything else to drink, wait until morning. As a new student, you are not allowed to wander the building after lights out.”
She turned and nodded towards the other beds. “I’ve put you in with Aloha and Imaiqah; Imaiqah is a first year student, like yourself, while Aloha is a second year student. As such, she is expected to take charge of the room. Should you keep the room clean and tidy, with a minimum of noise, fighting and bother, you will be rewarded with room points that can be exchanged for decorations, books or even sweets. I would strongly prefer not to have to intervene in disputes between you. In the event that it becomes unavoidable, you will all be punished. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Madame,” Emily said, trying not to roll her eyes. “I understand.”
“Good,” Madame Razz said. “I understand that Mistress Irene will contact you; in the event of her not doing so before dinner time, one of your roommates will take you down to the dining hall. Or use the amulet to find the hall.”
She marched over to the door and looked back at Emily. “This school is very different than anywhere else in the Allied Lands,” she added, her tone becoming almost compassionate. “It can be hard to adjust, particularly if you came from an aristocratic family. If you need help or advice, you can talk to me at any time.”
“Thank you,” Emily said.
Madame Razz left, quickly closing the door behind her.
Emily looked around the room, her gaze settling on a pile of books beside one of the beds. Her first impulse was to pick them up, but then she felt the magic haze surrounding them and realized that picking them up–at least without permission–would be a very bad idea. Instead, she sorted through the pile of clothing and bedding, before placing the clothing in the empty cupboard nearest her bed. The bottles of medicine went into the smaller cabinet beside the bed, followed by the amulet; finally, she started to make the bed. It was even easier than she had expected, although the mattress felt rough and uncomfortable once she’d tested it out.
Lying back on the bed, she stared up at the ceiling and shook her head. Her life had turned upside down, yet she found some aspects easier to deal with than she had expected. What was strangest of all was how she felt about her old world. It seemed almost dreamlike now. And she knew that she would never want to go home.
For a moment, she concentrated on her roommates. She’d never shared a room with someone else before, not even a sleepover with girlfriends. Whatever her roommates were like, she prayed that she could get on with them. Friends–or at least allies - would make her life here complete.
And was one of them really named Aloha? Or was that just a translation glitch?
Shaking her head, she picked up Void’s book and started to leaf through the pages, wishing that she could read and understand the words. But, even though Void had promised her that understanding would come in time, they were still nothing more than Greek to her. The spidery handwriting seemed impenetrable.
It’s only been a day, she told herself. See what you can do in a week.
Chapter Six
EMILY WAS STILL FLIPPING THROUGH VOID’S book when the door clicked open and the first of her roommates walked in. She was a short, mousey girl, with long dark hair, a freckled face and a tired expression, cute rather than beautiful. Emily found it impossible to estimate her age; she could have passed for fourteen back home, but she had a feeling that people aged faster in this world, considering that it had no technology. The girl looked surprised to see Emily, one hand coming up in a defensive stance, before realizing that Emily had to be a third roommate.
“You can call me Imaiqah,” she said. Her voice was low, almost as if she didn’t want to attract attention. “What would you like to be called?”
Emily
blinked in surprise as she realized what she’d been missing; names! The Grandmaster–that wasn’t a name, that was a title. And he had never asked her name, which was quite odd, once she came to think of it. Neither had anyone else, not even Shadye. Or Void.
She wracked her brain, thinking hard. Void had told her that it wasn’t a good idea to ask for a sorcerer’s name, which made her wonder if she shouldn’t tell anyone else her name either, for fear it could be used against her. She couldn’t understand how an entire school operated without anyone knowing their real names, but this was a whole different universe. Things worked differently here.
“Call me ...” She stopped, shaking her head. What could they call her? Could they call her Emily, without her surname? Or should she pick a nickname ... surely, Madame Razz had to be a nickname too. And Imaiqah sounded vaguely Arabic. “I’m honestly not sure.”
Imaiqah smiled, brightly. “Your tutor will help you decide what you want to be called. First day?”
“First day,” Emily admitted. Madame Razz had said that Imaiqah was a first year student too. “How long have you been here?”
“Seven months,” Imaiqah said. She stepped over to the bed and held out a hand for Emily to shake. “I’m an herbalist and a mirror magician, or so they tell me. Herbs I understand; mirrored magic isn’t working so well. What will you specialize in?”
Specialize? Emily didn’t know what, if anything, she could specialize in. Void had given her the book of spells, but he hadn’t said anything about specializing. Remembering some of the role-playing she’d done before being transported to a different world, it was easy to see that Void had probably taken it for granted that she would specialize in something–and that she would know more than she did about magical talents. He might not have understood that her world had no magic at all and therefore also had no specialized magicians as this world knew them.
Imaiqah saw the book on the bed before Emily could answer, her eyes going wide. “You’re a sorceress,” she said, astonished. “How many spells do you know?”
Emily hesitated, and then admitted the truth. “None.” She knew nothing about casting spells, let alone tapping her magic, the magic she didn’t quite believe she had. “I only just discovered that I was a sorceress.”
Imaiqah stared at her, as if she suspected that Emily was lying. “How is that even possible?” The surprise in her voice was obvious. “I thought that all students were tested for magic.”
And then her eyes narrowed. “Where do you even come from? I can’t place your accent.”
“A long way away,” Emily said, unsure how much she should admit to Imaiqah. The truth, that she came from another universe, or a vague statement that wasn’t quite a lie? “It’s my first day at Whitehall.”
Imaiqah nodded in sympathy. “I remember my first day too,” she said, turning away and walking over to her bed. “Mistress Irene will see that you are properly set up for your studies, then assign you to classes. Maybe we’ll share a class or two.”
The door opened again before Emily could say a word, revealing a tall, dark-skinned girl with a scowl on her face. “I swear I will turn that fool into a toad,” the newcomer said, one hand clutching a wand as if she intended to start firing off spells in every direction. “How dare he try to ask me to walk out with him on the grounds?”
Imaiqah ignored the question as the door banged closed. “Aloha, this is our new roommate,” she said. “She doesn’t have a name yet.”
Emily heard her tone and understood, instantly, that Aloha considered herself the Alpha female in the room. She was a second year, whatever that meant. The mushy girls boarding school books her mother had owned had suggested that senior girls could punish younger girls at will. They’d also included suggestions of lesbian affairs among the girls.
“Right,” Aloha said. Up close, she reeked of magic ... and of something Emily couldn’t identify. “I would prefer not to be bothered by any junior students. Keep to your side of the room and I will keep to mine–and don’t even think about touching my books.”
She dumped a bag onto her bed and stalked past them, into the bathroom. Emily watched the door close and then glanced at Imaiqah, who looked a little frightened. No doubt her roommate bullied her, she decided, or at the very least considered associating with a first year to be undesirable. Aloha might have magic, but she was still very human.
“She means it,” Imaiqah said. She sounded as if she were trying to make light of it, but couldn’t quite pull it off. “Everything she owns is covered in protective charms. I once picked up one of her books and ended up frozen to the floor until she came back and released me.”
Emily stared at her, and then looked down at the stone floor. If she’d touched any of the books ...
A dull gong echoed through the building and she looked up. “Dinner,” Imaiqah said, with some relief. “Do you want to come with me to eat?”
Emily wanted to say no. She wanted to stay and hide in the room until the sense of weirdness - of being out of place - faded away, but she was hungry. Besides, the world wouldn’t change if she hid herself under the blankets. She nodded once, pushing the book of spells Void had given her under the bed, and then picked up her new robes, pulling them over the robes she already wore, even though Madame Razz had effectively stated that non-school clothes were forbidden. But there was no time to change.
She should have changed while waiting for her roommates, but the sense of weirdness had just grown stronger and stronger.
Imaiqah picked up a book from her bedside table, then led the way back out into the corridor. There were dozens of students outside, all wearing robes of different colors, several old enough to be adults. In fact, Emily realized as she looked from face to face, some students looked to be barely entering their teens, while others seemed to be in their twenties. A handful of them carried wands, or staffs; a couple carried broomsticks and one carried what looked like a gnarled club of wood. Their chatter didn’t fade away when they saw Emily; they didn’t seem to be surprised by an unfamiliar face.
Or maybe there were so many pupils at the school that no one could hope to know them all. Emily had spent two years at her last school and she’d barely known anyone outside her grade.
“That’s Marcus,” Imaiqah said, pointing to a taller male student wearing a green robe and a red badge that seemed to glow with an eerie light. “He’s one of the prefects assigned to keep us all in line; he isn’t a bad person, but he takes his responsibilities seriously. Don’t go running in the corridors in front of him.”
They walked out of the dorm and down a long flight of stairs. Emily said nothing, staring around her. Every time the castle seemed to make sense, something happened to confuse her again. The corridors seemed to be rearranging themselves at will; worse yet, some of the students didn’t even look human. One of them had pointy ears like an elf, reminding her of one of the Star Trek characters she’d watched as a younger girl. Another seemed to be a living plant, with green skin and twigs in place of hair. And a third ... Emily realized in shock that the strange girl’s head was surrounded by living snakes that moved of their own accord. She looked like the pictures of Medusa from the role-playing games, the ones that had been modeled on the legends of Ancient Greece.
“She’s a Gorgon,” Imaiqah explained, when Emily asked. “It’s very rare for a Gorgon to attend Whitehall, or so we’ve been told. Their society prefers to have nothing to do with the Allied Lands.”
Emily actually felt her head spin as she tried to wrap her mind around the concept. Classes with a Gorgon? Could she turn people into stone? Wouldn’t her classmates be afraid of her?
They left the Gorgon behind and, eventually, reached a huge doorway which led into a massive dining room. There were tables everywhere, all crammed with students who were stuffing their faces with all sorts of food, served on giant platters. Bright balls of fire hung high overhead, casting warm light over the dining hall. Emily looked towards the raised table at the front of the room a
nd saw a dozen tutors–they had to be tutors–eating with more dignity, looking up between every bite to make sure that their students weren’t getting into mischief. They seemed a varied lot; a handful looked like traditional wizards, complete with robes and pointy hats, while others looked even stranger. One even looked like a wicked witch, gimlet eyes flashing as she stroked her cat and eyed her students sardonically. Another looked alarmingly like Red Sonja.
At least none of them look like Professor Snape, Emily told herself.
Imaiqah pointed her towards the line of pupils waiting for food, jostling one another as the line slowly advanced towards a hole in the wall. A pair of cooks were serving plates of food, something that looked like a hot stew with boiled potatoes and some vegetables she didn’t recognize. One of the cooks smiled at Emily, reminding her of one of her stepfather’s favorite sayings. Never trust a thin cook, he’d said; the cook was fat enough to pass for two people. Clearly, she’d been eating her own cooking.
“This way,” Imaiqah said, once they had been served. The food smelled strange to Emily, but it was from another universe. “The first-years sit at the rear of the room...”
“So, the mouse has found a friend,” a new voice said, interrupting Imaiqah.
Emily looked around and saw a tall girl sneering at them. The speaker had long white-blonde hair, surrounding a china doll face that could only be described as patrician.
Before she could think of anything to say, the strange new girl went on. “I trust that you will soon learn the folly of your choice.”
Emily had endured school psychologists and far too many cheerleaders who were ridiculously full of themselves, but she’d never been spoken to in such a condescending manner. But because she was new here, she swallowed the response that came to mind and attempted to ignore the newcomer. It wasn’t easy.
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