Page 14

Neith

W e don’t pull up out front, which makes sense because there is a huge fountain there and no other cars parked there, so I’m going to guess that entrance is for the king or queen or some shit. Why the king or queen would be visiting the academy I have no fucking idea, but I imagine that entrance is only for people who are that important.

Driving around the edge of the building, we then turn into the building itself and end up in a giant courtyard. There’s parking straight in front of us, but there’s also space for trees and little seating areas and it looks like it's just generally a nice place to be. It isn’t quite what I expected a training academy to look like, it’s a hell of a lot nicer.

“Wow,” I mutter as we pull into a space.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool, isn’t it?” Raiden asks. “We have all of the highest spec training grounds and rooms. There are obviously classrooms here as well for the theory side of the lessons. Learning the laws and all of that sort of thing.”

“It’s awesome. I’ve been to the HIDs version of a training academy, and it is the most boring and bland place I have ever seen. I’m sure that it’s meant to discourage people from actually joining HID.”

“I thought you said that you didn’t do any training?” River asks as we all get out of the SUV.

“I didn’t go there to do training,” I reply. “I was called into a meeting with the boss, and that’s where he was.”

“Oh,” River replies. “Well, we actually want our trainees to do well and love what they do. We’re pretty strict but that’s because we need to be, and they need to understand the law and the consequences.”

River’s serious side is one that I haven’t seen before and I kind of love it. I love his happy go lucky side too, but this one is intriguing.

I nod, “Yeah. That makes complete sense. HID should be doing the same thing, and I’m not sure why they aren’t, it’s like they want to fail.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Van says. “For now, we probably shouldn’t talk about HID while we’re here.”

“Good point,” I reply, as we finally make it into this huge and beautifully decorated hallway.

There is a giant set of steps leading to the first floor, at one end. A huge set of double doors that are standing open and clearly lead to a cafeteria of sorts to the right of us and the smells coming from it make me hope for the first time in my life that we get to eat in there today. The other side of the vast hallway that is more like a room itself it’s that big, has several doors and a couple of corridors leading off it as well.

There are lots of people milling about, all dressed the same in black cargo trousers, boots, and plain T-shirts, although the shirts are all in different colors, and I wonder if it means something or if it is just a coincidence. They are all glancing at the guys and smiling, which tells me that they are well-liked here. I frown when I realize that they are looking at Reed with fear and that he has slammed his mask back down because of it. I’m also getting my fair share of curious looks, and several people aren’t that subtle in sniffing the air and trying to work out what I am.

Ha! You and me both guys.

The range of ages isn’t really that easy to tell, but I know that everyone here is twenty-two or older, simply because that’s how old you have to be to join, and you have to finish your time at the magical academy before you’re allowed to attend the training one if that’s what you have chosen to do. As far as I can remember, you finish the training academy in the year that you turn twenty-one. I think there is also a test that you have to do before you’re actually allowed into the training academy. They don’t just let everyone in.

I only know what I know because I found out that Evander went here, and I sort of did some research until I felt pathetic practically stalking him and went to kill some shit instead.

I have issues.

The active agents are easy to tell because they’re dressed like we are, and they are even more blatant in their curiosity of me. I follow the guys, walking in between Raiden and Reed, which might also be why they are all staring at me. I’m far more comfortable walking between the two of them than apparently the majority of people are.

As we walk through the hallways, I spend more time looking up than I do at anything else. The ceilings are so freaking high and beautifully decorated that I can’t help it. All of them are depicting various supernaturals in all sorts of ways and it is fascinating. Fortunately, my gaze drops away from the ceiling just in time to see a smiling woman approaching us.

“Guys, nice to see you,” she greets them.

“Hey Maeve, it’s been a while,” Evander says.

Her eyes move to me and light up, “You must be Neith. It’s nice to finally meet you, the whole place is buzzing about your arrival and your track record.”

I smile, “I promise, I’m really not that interesting.”

She grins, “For some reason I don’t think that’s true.” Her smile falls, “Just a heads-up guys, Draconian are in today and they’re particularly fucking prickly, emphasis on the prick.”

“Of course they are,” River grumbles.

“Ty wanted to see you as well before you start your classes,” she adds. Glancing at me, she frowns, “Be careful. The Draconian team are all dickheads, they are to everyone, but your track record with HID has probably rubbed them the wrong way because they are pathetic like that.”

I chuckle, “It’s not the first time that I have dealt with men and their inflated egos, and I highly doubt that they could throw anything at me that I can’t handle, supernatural or not.”

“I like you,” she smirks. “Hopefully, we will see you around here a lot more. Have you decided what class you’re going to teach?”

I shake my head, “Not yet. I’m just observing for today.”

She nods, “Fair enough. I teach a runes and seals class, you’re more than welcome to sit in, today or any time you’re here if you want to.”

I smile, nodding my head, “Yeah, absolutely. That sounds great.”

“Awesome, see you at lunch guys,” she says as she starts to walk off and then adds, looking back over her shoulder, “don’t forget to go and see Ty. You’re going to be late for your own classes if you don’t hurry.”

“Thanks,” Doc calls after her.

“Alright, let's go,” Reed says.

“I’m assuming that since she didn’t say otherwise that Ty is in his office,” Griff says.

“I hope so because otherwise we have no hope of finding him before the lessons start,” Ransom says.

River frowns, “If I’m late to one of my own lessons again, my students are never going to let me live it down.”

I smirk, “You’re really late that often?”

River nods, “Yeah, no matter how hard I try to be on time it makes no difference. I was going to start the class later but then I would probably be late for that too.”

“I know exactly what you mean. I do the same,” I reply. Glancing around I ask, “Okay, so explain to me where some things are even if I’m going to forget it pretty much as soon as you tell me.”

Griff smiles, “Well, we’ve just come from the main hallway where the visitors are shown, and the canteen is also there.”

“Does the food taste as good as it smells?” I ask.

Evander says jokingly, “Asking the important questions as always, Neith.”

“Obviously, food is very necessary. I like to know where my next meal is coming from so I can plan accordingly.”

“Smart,” Doc agrees, and I give Van a ‘see I told you’ look.

“Yes, the food here is really good,” Griff answers my question when I just look at him expectantly.

“Awesome,” I grin. “Please continue.”

He shakes his head, clearly amused at my antics, before he continues, “All the lessons are spread out through the ground floor of the building and a couple of other buildings that are dotted around the grounds. the second and third floors are reserved for dorm rooms for the students. Obviously, the flight classes and some combat classes are outside, the stables are outside as well. Although horseback isn’t needed as often, if ever, in this realm, it’s still taught since it’s used in the other realms.”

“Wait, what?” I ask, a conversation that we had God knows when sparks in my mind, and I ask, “You mean in the other realms, the ones through the portal things that some supes can create?” I frown, “I feel like I’m not remembering that right.”

Raiden shakes his head, “You’re not, well you are kind of. So, there are specific points in this realm where the portals are, they are manned and controlled by supernaturals and have pretty strict security, but they aren’t made by a supernatural being; they have existed for as long as memory serves. They go to many different realms, and sometimes those realms call on our assistance. We also do training in the other realms as well.”

I frown, “So Trieneliea was like the main realm for supes, and all of these are smaller ones? Do the realms have governing bodies or anything like that?”

“Kind of,” Raiden explains, “They were all ruled under the Monarchy at Trieneliea but then that fell to war and the gates to the realm slammed closed. It’s said thata group of powerful supernaturals, and the King and Queen all worked together to close the realm to stop the war from spilling over, but no one but those select few knew that was the plan until after it was done, and people had already evacuated to Earth and the other realms thinking that it was a temporary measure.”

“All of the other realms have been in disarray since Trieneliea shut down. The magic has been fading in some and causing different problems for different realms. In some, it means that the portals are opening and closing sporadically and have become unpredictable. For others, it means dangerous creatures have been evolving at a faster rate, and there are a couple that have just been overrun with criminals. Not all of them have been affected by Trieneliea’s closing, places that were closed off from the other realms before the war, and allowed very limited travel are still as strong as they ever were. There’s so much and it’s all quite complicated,” Reed adds.

I frown, “So, Trieneliea was the biggest supe realm and like the hub for all supes from all the realms?” I ask and they confirm that I’m right.

“Yeah. They hosted the dignitaries and monarchy from the other realms, held balls, traded with them, fought with them and against them, and held inter-realm games, which looked like they were so much fun,” River explains.

My eyes widen, “That sounds awesome. Why is the magic disappearing from the other realms though if they’re separate?”

Evander shrugs, “No one is really sure.”

“That can’t be good,” I frown.

They all shake their heads.

“No, it’s really not. There are people working on trying to figure out why,” Raiden replies.

“So, the students here get to go to the other realms?” I ask, incredibly intrigued.

Evander nods, “As part of their training, the upper levels do a job in one of the safer realms, chaperoned by a senior team. We’ve actually done a few. They’re good fun so long as you don’t get a team that freaks out easily or one who has only barely managed to pass their classes.”

“We also get to go over occasionally when they require assistance for various reasons. It doesn’t happen too often because most of the realms have their own security measures, but sometimes they need our expertise,” Reed adds.

“It’s actually happening more often than it was because of how well Ty runs this place and how strong the agents are. We’ve also had quite a few students that upon graduation have found themselves in the other realms and being offered work there in the last couple of years, so it’s not as rare as it used to be,” Ransom explains.

“That’s really cool,” I reply. “I would like to go to a different realm, voluntarily and knowing that I’m going, not just being randomly sent there.”

River chuckles, “Yeah, we will probably end up going at some point. Don’t worry though we normally get at least a couple of days’ notice before we have to leave.”

“Well, at least there’s that,” I smile.

Griff asks, “There’s a class that you can take if you would like to learn more about the different realms. Not all supernaturals are native to Trieneliea.”

“Yeah, I actually did know that. It’s nice to know that something that I have learned is true.” I reply. “I would definitely be interested in that class.”

“We’ll sort it out,” Doc replies.

“Thank you,” I reply.

Griff takes over the explanation again, steering us back to the question that I originally asked about the building we are currently in and not realms that intrigue me on a level that they probably shouldn’t.

“Okay, so back to what I was explaining before,” he starts, “that door that we just walked through, and Evander used his badge to open, that separates the training side of the academy from the SID offices and our gym and training facilities too. There are also dorms, well they’re more like apartments actually. They are here for the agents that teach at the academy permanently and for any agent that wants to make this place their homebase or if they just need a place to stay for whatever reason. We also have a state-of-the-art medical wing, and various labs. We do have holding cells here, but they aren’t used for criminals, they are either used for a supe that’s struggling to control themselves for whatever reason that may be or for agents that have gone rogue.”

I nod, “That makes sense. Do you get rogue agents often?”

Van shakes his head, “We’ve had one since I started the academy.”

I nod, “That’s impressive. I think there was probably about one a week at HID, but when it comes to them, it’s difficult to know if they were actual rogue agents or decent agents who made the mistake of saying something and ended up getting themselves fired or worse.”

My words have the guys all frowning.

“That’s a very good point. We should probably mention that to Ty so that the team that has taken over the case can look into the people that have been classed as rogues or fired and see if they really are,” Doc suggests.

“Definitely. I actually spoke to a couple of them, and I would be very surprised if they actually were rogues. It never quite sat right with me,” I reply. Frowning, I add, “I’m not sure why I didn’t question it more, to be honest.”

“Because you were just trying to survive in the situation that you were in,” Ransom replies. His words make me feel slightly less guilty, but not by much.

“I wonder why they never flagged me as a rogue and got rid of me that way?” I ponder.

“Probably because you were also really valuable,” Reed points out.

“True, but I’m still valuable, if anything more so because I have even more successful cases under my belt. So why did they suddenly decide to kill me? Was it just because this guy that they were giving supes to was interested in me, and they saw an opportunity and took it?”

River shrugs, “Most likely. It will be something that we can ask when the corrupt are weeded out from HID. If we don’t already know the answer by then.”

I nod. “Yeah. Okay, sorry for derailing the conversation again. What else?”

Griff smiles and continues, “That’s pretty much it. There are natural pools inside and out, hectares of woodlands, pastures, shooting ranges, and magical combat arenas. We’ve pretty much got it all.” He pulls out his badge as we get to another set of doors that require a secure entry and swipes it, “This is the office area. All full-time instructors have an office down here, and most teams share an office. Ty’s office is down here as well.”

I nod, but I’m mildly distracted by the fact that the doors don’t look like security doors at all, they’re carved wood, and they fit the very old and original style of the rest of the building. I know it’s weird to find doors beautiful enough to distract you from a conversation, but one I’m easily distracted and two I can appreciate when something is very well made, and when someone has clearly put effort into the process. I like that.

We walk down the long wide hallway, dark wooden doors separated evenly on either side, and I have to admit that this feels like a much nicer place to work than HID, but then I think that probably anywhere is. Suddenly, the voices get louder, urgent, and I stop immediately. Everyone apart from Reed carries on walking, and I frown as I try to figure out what made the voices play up.

Then I hear it, a voice that I recognize in the room right next to where I’m standing.

Rebbeca.

“Oh, that sounds lovely. I think I really would be an asset here,” she practically simpers.

I roll my eyes, pathetic.