Chapter One
Jaynell Marley looked at the tall lions flanking the doors and let out the breath he'd been holding. Students ran up and down the stairs, rushing off to classes or wherever busy students went. This was where his father wanted him, the last request of a dead man who had given Jay everything, including his very life. Despite not wanting to be here, Jay wouldn't deny his father's wishes.
Nerves firing like ricocheting bullets zapped through his system as he realized soon he would be one of those students. At twenty-four years of age, Jay was older than a lot of the freshmen at the Mayell Wizard Academy, but life had kept him too busy to start formal training until this point.
"Are you lost?"
"Hmmm." Jay pulled himself out of his thoughts to see a girl about his own age standing before him with questioning eyes.
"Are you lost? You look like you're not sure where to go."
"Headmaster's office. I have to go to the headmaster's office," Jay said. Although he had a pretty good idea of where to go, it didn't hurt to have someone show him.
"I'm Lira," she said, holding out her hand. "I'm a second year. Did you transfer?"
"I'm Jaynell. No. I didn't transfer. I'm starting late. Family illness."
"Oh." Her face reflected pity, but she didn't comment further. In Jay's experience, most people didn't know what to say. "Come with me. I'll take you to Headmaster Vreel. He's really amazing. You'll like him."
Jay hoped it was true. Always nervous about meeting authority figures, he'd spent all of his life with private tutors. This was his first time coming to a place of group education. Granted, the education was done in an exclusive wizarding college, but it was still not the usual one-on-one tutoring he was used to.
Nervously following the friendly girl, Jay climbed the long stairway, momentarily distracted when the lions' eyes glowed blue.
"Why do they glow?" Jay asked, pointing at the lions.
Lira frowned. "What are you talking about? They don't glow."
Maybe it was just one of those things that only he saw. Wouldn't be the first time.
"I guess I'm imagining things."
Except he knew he wasn't. Lira seemed happy with that explanation and continued to lead him through the marble halls, to a gleaming wooden door.
"Here you go."
"Thanks."
With a small smile, Jay opened the door and stepped through. A gnome sat behind a large wooden desk. Her gray skin gleamed dully beneath the natural sunlight. He could tell she was a female by the earring in her left ear, indicating a mated female. Males wore them in their right ear.
Jay gave a short bow to the receptionist and said in perfect Gnome, "I have an appointment with your master."
Most people didn't know gnomes only worked for their masters. In order to stay out of their hills, they had to be owned. Free gnomes were only allowed underground because of their rages. Their anger could only be controlled by the one who owned them. It was a high honor to be owned, and oddly, an owned gnome had more status in their tribe than a free one.
The gnome's eyes sparkled when she spotted Jay. "Greetings. You must be Mr. Marley. Someone has trained you well. You speak Gnome beautifully. I will tell my master that you can skip Gnome linguistics."
One less class to take.
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