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“Done.”

I shake her hand, and we both burst out laughing.

10

Summer

Thanks to the absence of any hangover, getting ready for our second day is much smoother. Alice and I leave the dormitory looking much fresher than the day before. Both of us are wearing uniforms similar to what we wore the previous day, but I have opted for a white shirt instead of a black one, and rather than a tie, I’ve wrapped a small scarf in the school’s colors around my neck. I forgo tights again today.

The sun is shining through the window, and my room is almost uncomfortably warm. I look at my selection of shoes and decide to go for a pair of heels this time. Sliding my feet into them, it’s like I’m donning armor. When I face angel boy this time, I’ll feel more than prepared. He may have grown up with a sword in his hand, but at the end of the day, a warrior has a moral code. A survivor has none.

Alice and I walk through the quad, and she lifts her face to the sky, closing her eyes. “This is glorious.”

The sun is never something I’ve had to live without for long. In my old realm, the weather was cyclical, with certain times of the year colder than others. But usually, we wouldn’t go morethan seven days without seeing the sun. It’s one of those things that can easily be taken for granted, but at the moment, I appreciate it as much as Alice.

We walk to Fenrir Hall, both of us deciding to skip the coffee before our first combat class. My stomach tightens and twists. I’ve never taken so much as a self-defense class, never mind partaking in actual combat. That combat is a general requirement for Avalon students is archaic. Why do I need to know how to throw a punch when I could just draw a rune?

When we step through the door, our clothes change again, this time into matching shorts and t-shirts. The clothes are easy to move in, but I frown when I notice I’m still wearing my heels. The gym is enormous and filled with various workout and sports equipment. A large male lifts heavy-looking mats, his muscles bulging under his dark amber skin. He drops them in the center of the room, keeping them pretty evenly spaced. The heavy mats slamming against the wooden floor echo in the cavernous room. A group of girls stand in the corner, watching him and giggling, and a few of the boys cross their arms over their chests, trying to flex their muscles. This is already unbearable, and it is made even worse by the fact that there are several fae in this class. I make a point not to look at them, but I can feel their eyes boring into me.

The tall man throws down the last mat and stands in front of our group. He gathers his long, midnight hair and secures it at his nape. “I’m Ike. I have taught combat at Avalon for ten years. Yes, I am trained to teach you. No, I am not a professor, so do not call me one.” His nostrils flare a little as if he is scenting us. He moves his head to the side, and I see lightning flash in his dark eyes.Thunderbird. I thought they were a myth. “Two to a mat. Try to match up with people who are roughly the same size as yourself for this class.”

I grab Alice and pull her to a mat on the other side of the room. When everyone has taken off their shoes and is standing on a mat with a partner, Ike walks through, looking at us all with a leveling stare.

“Combat has been taught at this academy since its founding, though as you can imagine, the lesson structure and techniques have changed drastically. Once, students would fight to the death in this very room.”

I glance at Alice, who is smirking and nodding in approval.

“For this first year, we will be working primarily on defense and building from any knowledge you already have regarding restraint and deflection. We will use both magic and strength in these classes, but I am asking that for this first semester, while we settle into the year, none of you use your arcane powers. As you are aware, certain species have advantages in speed, stealth, strength, agility, and so on. These advantages are not to be used until after the end of term basics exams. While you are learning the basics, I want to utilize an even playing field.”

Ike settles on his own mat at the front of the room. He conjures a moving mannequin and begins to go through a number of different defense moves. The mannequin attacks him, and my mind fires, analyzing the mock battle between our teacher and the mannequin.

Ike leans back as it swings, dodging its blow artfully. The mannequin’s leg sweeps out to target his legs, but Ike jumps, lifting his feet toward his chest. Static zips around the room, making the hair on my neck rise. Ike launches both his feet into the dummy’s chest, sending it flying into the wall with shattering force.

My eyes widen in awe. He used runes to enhance his own abilities. His kick was more powerful because he used a rune to focus his natural power.

“Right. Your turn,” Ike says, the resonance of his voice pulling me from my thoughts. Nerves make my empty stomach clench, and the fascination dies inside me. “Whoever is on the left, use the moves I demonstrated to defend against the moves used by the dummy. Those on the right, watch and prepare for your turn.” A dummy appears on each mat, and Alice moves out of the way.

Ike walks around the room, correcting people’s stances. When he gets to me, he raises my right arm slightly and uses his foot to widen my stance. “Okay, good. Ready? Go.”

The dummies all move in unison. I quickly duck to avoid the strike, but I overcompensate and lose my balance. I right myself but feel my cheeks burn. This is why I run.

Ike sighs and lowers his chin to his chest, his hands on his hips. “We have a lot of work to do. Switch.”

Alice and I swap places. This time, when Ike calls for them to start, the dummies move, but fewer people fall over. Alice moves deftly, dodging the dummy’s swing and countering with a blow of her own. She even manages to rip it with her claws.

“Switch,” Ike calls again.

The class doesn’t get much better for me, but by the end of it, I am able to remain on my feet for at least two out of the five defensive moves Ike showed us. Ike finally dismisses us, and our uniforms return. I say goodbye to Alice, my spirits lifting as I head to my next class. It’s another rune class, thank the gods. This is the only class I’m doing that Alice won’t be in. It’s specifically for fae and sorcerers, and while I’m not overly excited about spending an hour with those two groups, the subject excites me. I found Ancient Runes to be so interesting yesterday. I cannot wait to see what the Elder Futhark runes have in store for me.

When I arrive, the class is already teeming with students, and I get some curious looks from some of the fae who are,unsurprisingly, standing in a pack. I swear, they are worse than the shifters. They drop their voices when I pass, but I keep my eyes forward and sit in a seat at the other end of the classroom.

A tall, slim woman walks into the classroom and claps her hands. Her bobbed, red hair barely moves as she walks down the middle of the classroom.

“Quiet! Quiet! I am Professor Henley. Welcome to Elder Futhark runes. Now, let’s get started. We have a lot to cover today.”

She walks to the blackboard and writes in an elegant script as she starts her lecture.

“Now, Elder Futhark runes, also known as Older Futhark or Old Futhark, is often described as the oldest runic language in existence. However, as I’m sure Professor Ambrose explained, we know this to be false. Though it is an old runic language, we now know the oldest and first to be that of Daoine Sith.” She turns to face us again. “For those of us able to use multiple runic languages, Elder Futhark is best utilized when attempting practical magic. For example, moving objects.”