Page 39 of Malcroix Bones Academy

A note had been left propped on a glass vase full of pink and red sunflowers. I flashed to the envelopes of cash that appeared on the kitchen counter every few weeks since I’d been ten years old. This note felt about as personal.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it also originated from the same hand.

She didn’t bother with any sort of greeting for this, either.

I’ve told the hotel staff to leave this for you. I received notice that you passed your course. The carriage will pick you up this morning for the trip to Malcroix. You’re to be out in front of the Keep at 7AM. DO NOT BE LATE!

Ankha didn’t bother to sign it, not like it mattered.

Luckily, I’d already known I’d be leaving today. I’d packed almost everything the day before. Even so, I glanced at the clock again, cursed, and sprinted for my bedroom. I yanked off my pajama top as I ran, calculating just how much time I had to shower without slowing my steps.

I stoodin the bright sunshine on the curb in front of the Keep, a little bleary-eyed, but showered, and reasonably awake. I’d come outside early, thank goodness, because my transport arrived exactly on time, down to the very second.

“Are they… unicorns?” I stared at the sleek black beasts curiously. “Is that what they’re called here, I mean?”

It was the first time I’d seen any up close.

Usually they ran by so quickly on the street, all I glimpsed was a black blur.

The onyx heads tossed impatiently, brandishing equally black horns, which grew out of the middle of their foreheads. The horns ended in points that looked razor-sharp, and extended over two feet past where they broke the skin.

No one answered me, and I glanced over my shoulder at the uniformed mage standing in the doorway of the carriage. Hefrowned back, visibly puzzled. From his expression, he found me and my questions much more exotic than the horse-like creatures pulling the carriage, with their horns, talon-like back claws, and obsidian-scaled, snake-like tails.

I heard a clattering noise and glanced down at where a second mage in the same, dark-blue uniform, shoved my rather large trunk into a lower compartment under the carriage. My suitcase, which was almost as large, but significantly lighter, soon followed.

The mage by the open door finally spoke.

“They’remonoceri.”His voice sounded as incredulous as his expression looked. “You really don’t know that? Unicorns are a different breed entirely, and can’t be used for this kind of work. Not to mention it’s completely illegal.”

“Illegal,” I muttered. “Right.”

“They’d be entirely worthless for something like this,” the man added, his voice still puzzled. “Monoceri are faster, stronger, easier to reason with. They have entirely different temperaments. They’re motivated by different things. In fact, don’t do that…”

I’d been walking closer to one of the coal-black beasts.

I froze at the man’s words and withdrew my hand.

I’d been hoping to get a closer look, maybe even to touch a glossy neck or nose. Now, as I walked around the harnessed animals, giving them a wider berth, I saw their tails writhing and coiling around their flanks, like they were annoyed. Those tails had to be six feet long, and were as pitch black as the rest of them.

Their black manes were long and wild, half-covering dark red eyes.

“Would it bite me?” I asked the man.

“Aye. Bite you. Stab you with the horn. Break your leg with its tail. Maybe just stomp you, or claw your face for good measure.”

A hint of amusement lived in his words.

The one packing up the carriage chuckled as the two mages exchanged looks.

I swallowed, unsure if they were messing with me, but guessing they probably weren’t.

“Right,” I muttered.

Not a fairy tale,I reminded herself.You’re not in a fairy tale, Leda. These are real animals. Dangerous, obviously insurance-claim-nightmare, living creatures.

As I walked towards the carriage entrance, I mused about how strange it was, that I’d already been here three months. The summer had flown by, with one of the only trulybrightspots, apart from the magic itself, being Alaric, who’d been in every one of my bridging classes. Between Alaric, the classes themselves, not to mention the positively insane number of books I’d read that summer, trying to catch up with everyone else in my courses, I barely had time to think about how different my life was now.

I still didn’t have my very own light-animal, or “primal,” as Magicals called them.