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“Aw, come on, Karter,” Jordan pleaded. “The only reason I had detention was because I skipped Marselle’s speech. It’s not like I haven’t heard it all before.”

“Attendance was mandatory, Sparker.” Karter frowned and shook his head. “Your arrogance will be your undoing if you don’t watch yourself.”

Jordan seemed to wilt by Alex’s side. Despite all his bravado, she sensed that he truly respected the man in front of them.

“Yeah, I know.” Jordan looked down as he spoke. “Sorry, Karter. I won’t do it again.”

“Of course you will,” Karter huffed. “Just don’t get caught next time. Understood?”

When Jordan glanced back up again, he appeared to be fighting a grin. “No problem, sir.”

Karter nodded brusquely. “Good.”

Just as Karter began to turn away, he seemed to notice Alex and Bear for the first time.

“Who are you?” he demanded, looking directly at Alex.

“Uh…”

He turned his glare from her to Bear then back to Jordan. “You know you have to register visitors. What’s the meaning of this?”

“Ease up, Karter,” Bear said. “She’s no ordinary visitor.”

“She’s new here,” Jordan added. Then he lowered his voice, making his next statement sound overly dramatic. “And she’s fromFreya.”

Karter’s eyes widened a fraction before they narrowed again. “Don’t be ridiculous, Sparker.”

“I’m right here, you know,” Alex interrupted, fed up with them all talking about her as if she was invisible. “I can speak for myself.”

“What’s your name then, girl?” Karter asked and she instantly regretted opening her mouth.

“Alexandra Jennings,” she said, before adding on a quick, “sir.”

“Follow me, Jennings,” he ordered. “We’ll find out where you’re really from and what you’re doing here.”

He didn’t wait for her to acknowledge his order, he just turned around and marched back towards the buildings.

Jordan smiled encouragingly at her. “Shall we?”

“I’d rather not,” Alex mumbled.

Jordan and Bear chuckled at her words and she smiled back at them before they hurried to catch up to the strange, leather-clad man.

Alex remained silent as the three of them followed Karter across the academy grounds. She saw students walking around, playing games, talking and laughing with each other and she knew thatthiswas what a school was meant to be like. There were no stuffy uniforms or miserable expressions here.

Karter led them straight towards the large tower-like building and motioned for them to enter. As they walked through the medieval archway, Alex noticed a bronze plaque attached to the stone wall with the inscription, ‘Akarnae Academy’. In smaller letters below were the words: ‘Kailas en freydell. Vayla en karsis. Leali en nexar’.

“Strength in weakness. Victory in surrender. Life in death,” Bear translated before she could ask. “It’s kind of like our school motto.”

“I see.” She didn’t. Exactly what kind of school was this?

The archway led to an empty room. On one side was a winding stone staircase leading up, and on the other side a similar staircase led down, underground. Karter motioned for them to follow him over to the upwards staircase, and they hastily began their ascent.

Step after step they climbed until they finally left the staircase at the eighth floor and moved into a small waiting room. Karter instructed the three of them to stay there while he walked across the room and knocked on a closed door.

The moment he disappeared into the room beyond, Alex puffed out, “Fill me in—what’s going on here? Where are we? And seriously, haven’t you guys ever heard of an elevator?”

“It was only eight floors,” Jordan said, and she turned incredulous eyes to him.