Chapter 1

The communal bunkhouse was quiet, save for the occasional snore or gentle mumbling from the tens of other workers occupying the rows of bunk beds. Max listened to it quietly as he lay on his own bed in the dark room, fingering a small piece of parchment. It was beautifully made, creamy white and bearing both the sign of the Academy and the assertion that Max was capable of learning magic, signed and sealed by the magician Holcom Kotbe. He'd kept it safe for months as his most valuable possession while he waited for Initiate's Day to come around, and today was the day he'd finally get to use it.

Max sighed, tucking the sealed piece of parchment away in the coinpurse he kept on the inside of his leg. He rolled over in bed, and tried in vain to go to sleep again, but even though it was a few hours to dawn yet, sleep would not come. Max was too anxious, or excited, maybe, to even dream of going back to sleep. Another little eternity passed, and Max gave up the pretense of sleeping altogether, sitting up in bed and rubbing his hands along the sides of his long, square muzzle. Though his head was shaped far more like a dragon-like Draagen than a goat-like Capran, and he had a long serpentine tail with a tuft of fur on the end of it, the large ears, brown fur, and spiral horns jutting backwards off of the top of his head told of his mixed heritage. The cloven feet and scarlet reptilian eyes were even more of a giveaway. He put his feet over the side of the bed, trying to keep his feet quiet on the rough wood floor.

Max reached under the bed and got out the rucksack that held all of his worldly possessions, setting bundles of clothes out on his bed as he got to the bottom of it, pulling out three pieces of neatly folded clothing. One was a soft, cream-colored long-sleeved shirt, made of a thin wool specifically made with a wide neck to free up the ring of plush dark brown fur around the base of Max's neck. The second, and more valuable piece, was the charcoal gray, short-sleeved shirt with a lace-up front and leather bands along the shoulders. There was a pair of breeches that were a lighter gray than the shirt, just long enough to reach past Max's knees. He knew they would be loose enough to not restrict him in any way. He also pulled out a handful of small accessories. A leather wrap for his feet, fingerless gloves lined with wool for his hands, a leather pouch on a belt, and a fabric wrap for the end of his tail. He paused on the subdued red sash for his waist, rubbing the soft quilted cloth between his fingers.

As Max stared down at the clothing, he had to bite back tears. It had been a little while since he'd felt a fresh wave of homesickness, but looking down at the clothes his mom had made special for him brought back memories of home. Mom made him promise that he would not wear any of these clothes until his first day at the Academy, and true to his word, they had never left his bag until today. Not that Max would've dreamed of wearing them while out in the fields, being one of the nicest sets of clothes he had.

Max carefully bundled up the extra clothes, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He looked at his bed. The blanket was folded neatly at the foot of his bed, unused in all the time he had been staying there because he always felt warm, his thick brown fur more than warm enough for the year-round mild climate near the city of Ash, where the Academy was located.

Since he had no bed to make, Max padded away as quietly as his hoofed feet would allow on the rough wood floor. He followed the center isle along the long room, until he came to a small door just before the exit. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. It was pitch black in the closet, given that the sun hadn't even come up yet outside, but he was practiced enough at changing in the dark of this closet that he was able to do it without banging an arm on the shelves, though he was much slower putting on the somewhat more intricate outfit for his first day at the Academy.

Outside, if it wasn't for a handful of lanterns on the fronts of the small collection of buildings, Max would've only had the light of the moon to see by. It was a good half-day walk to Ash, and though his roiling stomach didn't want to eat, he knew he needed to get something to eat while he could. So, he went to the small building that served as a mess hall and stepped inside, hoping he could get an early breakfast before heading out, though he wasn't hopeful. It was still early for breakfast to be served.

At first glance, there was no one in the dimly lit space, but when Max started walking towards the kitchen, a creaky voice called out to him. "Couldn't sleep, boy?"

Max startled, whirling around to look behind him. In the back corner of the room, the foreman Tee sat at one of the tables, smoking a pipe. He didn't dare ask the old Kainer his age, because though his weathered features looked old, he moved like he was 20 years younger than he looked. "No, sir, I couldn't. It's, uh, my big day today."

"So it is. Damn shame, I've never seen any folk work as hard as you did. 'Course, I've never seen folk like you, either." He took a drag out of his pipe, holding it in for a few seconds before letting it gently out. "You hungry? I figure you'd wanna eat a bite before going on to greater things."

"That would be nice, sir."

"No need to call me 'sir' anymore. As of this mornin' I'm not your boss. Give me a beat."

He left Max alone for a moment, before coming back with two steaming bowls. He set one down on the table near Max, then went around the table to take a seat on the opposite side of the table.

"Thank you sir-er, Tee." He said, spooning a bit of the porridge into his mouth, and was immediately surprised by its honeyed sweetness.

"Welcome. Yer not s'possed to have anything extra, but Mara's sweet on me, so I talked her into adding a dollop 'o honey. Least I could do, since you've been the best worker I've had the pleasure of managing. Better than most of that mangy lot out there, anyways."

They ate in silence for a bit, until Tee broke the silence again. "You leave your bedding on the bed?"

Max nodded.

"Had to ask. You don't strike me as the type to make off with the ratty things we call blankets. Or anything, really. Unlike some of the folks I've got to work with." He grumbled.

Max didn't say anything, but he agreed with Tee. Most of the people who worked the farm with him were a rough sort, and Max had made it a point to keep to himself, and they generally left him alone in turn.

"Still, work's gotta be done and they're hands to do it. Y'know, god forbid you end up back here again, but you've got a place here if it don't work out for you up in the Academy."

Max nodded, knowing there was no chance he'd ever be back there. He'd go home before he'd try and make a life here."Thank you, sir."

"Don't mention it." He got up. "Guess I ought to start go rousing the boys out of bed. Good luck, boy."

"Thanks!" Max said, watching them leave through the kitchen door. He finished off the bowl and took the empty bowl back to the kitchen, thanking the cook Mara while he was at it. Having filled his belly, he set off towards the Academy. Though the moon had gone down, Max had no trouble seeing well enough in the dark to keep himself from stumbling on the path.

The sun had long since come up when the walls of Ash came into view. By now, there were a considerable number of people on the road to the city from the outlying farms, and Max was mostly unregarded when he crossed through the city gates and onto the main thoroughfare through the center of town, save for a few lingering stares. Max knew the way to the Academy from previous trips into town, and naturally made a beeline straight for it.

It took Max another half hour to thread his way through the bustling streets to stand before the wall surrounding the Academy proper. The towers of the Academy's castle loomed over the wall, though his attention was drawn to the crowd outside the front gates, guards in armor emblazoned with the Academy insignia keeping people in line. He looked at the line, amazed at the number of people already gathered to be tested for the capabilities required to become a magician.

Max joined the line, people quickly piling up behind him. A uniformed man with the Academy insignia on his shoulder walked down the growing line, shouting, "If you've already been tested and have your letter, please step out of line."

His words caught Max's attention. "Uh, I have one." Max said, halfheartedly waving the man down.

He stopped and looked at Max. "Well, let's see it then."

Max hesitated, then reached into the waistband of his pants, taking several painful seconds to work the small square of parchment out of his coinpurse. He held it out to the man, who took it and looked closely at the seal before breaking it, unfolding the parchment and reading it carefully. "Well, this looks to be in order." He said, handing the parchment back to him. "Come on, we'll get you settled inside while we wait for your peers."

He put an arm around Max, guiding him towards the gate and away from the grumbling people. The guards at the gate didn't even question them, allowing them both to pass through into the Academy grounds. Now past the crowd, and the walls blocking his view, he could see the castle clearly. He had heard a great many stories that had castles in them, and this lived up to the pictures he had in his mind. It was the tallest and widest building he had ever seen, much bigger than the wooden fort near his village where the overseer lived. The fort had always looked imposing to Max, but the castle built with sandy stone in front of him made the fort look weak. There was a great colored glass window above the front doors, which were wide enough to comfortably walk a parade of horses through.

It was through those wide doors that Max was led, into an entry hall which was even wider and taller than the doors, the domed ceiling going up to the sky as far as Max was concerned. His hooves clicked on the smooth stone floor, walking among the wide carved columns of stone holding the heavens up. He barely even registered the people milling about as he stared in awe at the architecture.

Max was almost disappointed when he was lead down a narrower, but still distinctly wide, hallway, jutting off of the main entrance hall. His guide stopped at the first door they came to, and held it open for Max. "Here we are. You're going to be waiting a while, I'm afraid, as we wait for every initiate to arrive. Feel free to make yourself comfortable, though."

Max stared at the man for a beat, caught off guard by the politeness. "Oh, uh, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Max stepped inside, the door closing behind him. It was much darker in the room than the sunlit hallway had been, though there was a glass globe in the ceiling which cast a steady yellow light across the whole room. There were around 50 chairs arranged in a neat grid in the center of the room, facing away from the door. Almost all of them were empty, save for a single group of three cat-like Ketta that had taken up one corner near the 'back' of the room, judging by the way the chairs were facing. Max took a seat a few chairs down from them, unsure of how they would treat him. But, as he waited, though he caught a few prolonged curious stares from the group, Max didn't detect any overt hostility, which was a relief.

Hours passed by slowly, more people slowly filtering into the room and filling up the chairs. By the time evening light filtered in through the door, every chair in the room was full, including the ones beside Max, and a few stood along the walls. A small group of uniformed magicians came into the room, one of them stepping up to the front of the room. He whistled loudly, bringing the room to silence. He was squat dog-like Kainer, with scraggly brown fur and beady eyes.

"Thank'ee." He said, with a strong baritone voice. "Welcome, all of you. I'm Eric Blair, but y'all will address me as 'Sir Blair', or simply 'Sir'. As Chief of Initiates, it is my job to supervise you on your journey to finding your Alius. I'mma be frank, not all y'all are gonna make it to the end. Some of you will give up, and I can't say I'd blame you. The process of unlocking your ability to use magic isn't a stroll through your manicured gardens. No, it's a grueling journey that will leave you scarred."

Blair's gaze roamed the gathered crowd. "You'll spend six out of seven days living out your worst nightmares. When I say worst nightmares, I mean worst nightmares. The sort that you remember for the rest of your life, much as you try to forget them. I've seen folk go mad from what they saw in their own minds. One fool a few years back clawed his eyes out before we could stop him. Just last year we had a lady try to take a chunk out of a guard's arm 'cause she was thoroughly convinced he was gonna have his way with her. Had to put both of 'em to sleep, for their safety as much as everyone else's."

Blair fixed the crowd with a grave stare. Max's stomach had dropped down to his feet, listening to Blair's dire warnings. The magician who brought him here hadn't mentioned any of this, and he felt dread weighing him down as he feared for what would happen if he broke under the strain.

"Now that I've got your attention, there's a few things you ought to know. First of all, and all of you should know this already, but if you don't, before we even assign you a room, y'all will pledge to pay your tuition of 100 gold currents, or else your service to the Academy for three years should one be unable to pay. Prior to that, you will spend a year apprenticing in your chosen profession."

Max felt sick at the thought of taking on that kind of debt. If Max had totaled up all the money he'd ever earned to date, he might've been able to come up with one current. Naturally, he was going to spend more than three years away from home, a thought Max did his best to push out of his mind.

"Should you fail to show me your spark by the next full moon and graduate to novice, you will be formally released from your service and kicked out of the Academy. Nothing more will be required of you. Next year, you may try again to graduate to novice. Secondly, though many of you lot will want to argue with me about it, no personal servants of any kind will be allowed on Academy grounds. No exceptions." There was a cry of outrage from several people in the crowd, but Blair continued talking over them. "We can't house them, and your basic needs will be taken care of for you. You will be fed, your washing done, and your room cleaned by Academy servants. Beyond that, you're on your own. Third, because there's so many people who live here, you will share a room with several of your peers. That will be your dormitory supervisor's responsibility to assign to you, so complain to them if you have a problem with it, not me."

"I have two other, very important things that you should know. First, initiates, those who have not proven their magic ability yet, are given only limited reign of the Academy grounds. Y'all are allowed to be in your assigned dormitory, the dining hall, the initiate session room, and the bathhouse. Any initiate caught wandering the halls will be given one warning, then five lashes for each offense afterwards. Second, you are expected to be at every training session, period. No matter how bad you feel, no matter how tired you feel, there's no playin' hooky. If you do, I can guarantee you will not make it in time, and you'll have wasted an entire month. The schedule as tight as it could be, and none of y'all can afford to miss even one session."

"That covers what you have to know, but the full list of Academy laws are posted in each dormitory, and though they are mostly common-sense, I've seen enough idiots in my life to know that some of y'all lack common-sense, so take a minute to read 'em. Now that I've said my piece, now's your chance to leave if you've changed your mind on attending the Academy."

Blair fell quiet, and to Max's surprise, a handful of people actually stood up and left, filing out the door at the back.

"Good, happy to see most of you stayed. Your training begins immediately after breakfast, which is served shortly after dawn. Y'all have tonight to get settled into your dormitory, and after that you won't have much time to yourself, so I would get everything settled tonight if you can. I want ladies on my left, men on my right. Don't try to be a joker by joining the other sex's line. Y'all will have a full body inspection to check for stuff like blight, and believe me, our healers are thorough. You won't fool them. Line up!"

People began to get up and file to either side of the room, some grumbling in protest, others merely chattering with their peers. Max was locked in a decision that kept him seated. He could pass most easily for male, yet he knew for a fact that he did not fit in the common definition of 'male'. Maybe if he just slipped by quietly, they wouldn't bother to check. But he was always terrible at not looking guilty, so they would certainly search him, he thought. As the crowds thinned, he was running out of time to make a decision. So, with his heart hammering in his chest, he approached Blair as timidly as he could muster.

"Excuse me, sir."

Blair looked mildly irritated at Max. "What? Did I stutter, boy? Go join the men's line."

Max mumbled quietly, looking down at his feet.

"What? I can't hear you."

He tried to speak a little louder, but strove to stay quiet.

"I still can't hear you, boy. Speak up."

"I'm not a, uh, man." Max muttered.

Now Blair looked down at Max doubtfully. "Then go join the lady's line. What's so hard to understand, boy?"

"I'm, um, not a, er, woman, either, sir."

Confusion swept his face, quickly replaced by understanding as he sized Max up again. "Oh." He stared at Max, as if debating. "Well then, have a seat there. We'll get you figured out." He looked over Max's shoulder. "And you!" Blair shouted over Max's head. "Are you a manling too, or was I not clear enough?"

Max could feel the weight of everyone's stares and hear the murmuring amid muffled laughter, his ears pinning back in embarrassment. He sought a seat at the front of the room where Blair had gestured, and then attempted to make himself as small as possible. Why had Blair spoken so blatantly of it? He'd been able to hide it for months sleeping among the workers, yet here all it took was one person proclaiming it and everyone knew now, just like they did back home.

Max hated himself for not lying about it.

"Get up! This isn't a time for catching up on your beauty sleep."

As much as Max wanted to disappear, he couldn't help but turn around and look. The magician stood to one side of a seated figure, who was sitting up and rubbing their eyes. "I apologize, it's been a long journey here. Do what?"

"Get up and join a line. Over there if you're man," He pointed to the line of men on one side. "or over there if you're a woman. Unless you're a manling like that poor sap over there?"

"From what I know of the word, yes, you might call me that."

Even Blair seemed mildly surprised that they took the title so easily. "Well, go join your fellow up front, then. Go on!"

They gave him a haughty glare, before standing up and taking a seat next to Max. Max quickly looked back down at his feet, afraid to even acknowledge someone who took on such a title willingly. He could see out of the corner of his eye that the stranger's feet were distinctly bird-like, which Max had never seen before, though he'd heard of such a thing.

"With that settled, I want all the ladies to follow Miss Perks, and the men to follow Sir Thuum. They will give you further instructions. You two, come with me."

Max looked up to find the magician standing in front of them, looking down at them expectantly. Max hoisted his bag up, and with a deep sense of unease, followed the magician through a door at the back of the room, right behind the stranger. As they walked, Max couldn't help but notice the fan of feathers poking out of the back of the stranger's pants where a tail would normally be. Max didn't have time to consider that before the magician stopped at a door. "Both of you, wait in there. I'mma get someone to attend to your inspection, while I discuss with Head Maester Gretchen what to do with you."

Blair waited for Max and the stranger to enter the small, mostly bare room, before leaving the two of them alone. The room was divided in half by a screen, though there was nothing on the side they stood in but a small row of chairs. The stranger immediately took a seat, though Max opted to remain standing, feeling unsure of himself.

Max glanced towards the stranger, and once he realized what a bizarre creature they were, found himself unable to look away. They were about Max's height, which was to say very short, and had a build not too dissimilar from Max's lithe frame. Their eyes seemed large and colored an amber that bordered on orange. They were even furred, though it was incredibly fine compared to Max's thicker, coarser fur, though it was somewhat thicker around the head and neck. What struck Max as odd was how bird-like the stranger was. Their legs and feet were not too dissimilar from the chickens his family raised, save for the fact they were black, and from the outside of their arms sprouted long primary feathers, colored with a simple dark barring over a cerulean blue of the same shade as their fur. Their fur was similarly accented with the black tainted with blue, save for their chest, the front side of their neck, and their muzzle, which were a light cream much like Max. Their hands too, were 'scaled' like their legs, sporting small claws which were neatly trimmed. Max had no idea what they were; their short muzzle and tall ears looked nothing like what Max understood Avabren to look like, but they were too bird-like to be anything else.

Their dress was somehow even stranger. The first thing Max noted was how revealing it was. The 'shirt', if it could be called that, barely covered their chest, leaving their belly and waist scandalously bare. Their shoulders and arms would've been left bare save for a small loop of loose fabric draped over their upper arms. Their pants were loose, stopping at the top of their haunch, though they similarly failed to adequately cover them. The pants had a cutout which ran from the bottom of the richly-decorated sea-green sash around their waist to the middle of their thigh, showing off the sides of their slender legs. It was all a rich sky blue, accented by splashes of sea-green. The pieces of clothing generally fit their shape snugly, making no effort to hide the somewhat feminine curve like Max's that gave away their odd sex. Max idly noted the fine vine-like metalwork gracing their arms, shoulders, neck, and head, only then realizing that they were made of actual gold. It wasn't brass, or even silver. Max's disdain evaporated, suddenly leaving him feeling dwarfed in this person's presence.

"Toodle-hoo, did you hear me?"

Max blinked, deflecting his eyes away out of embarrassment for having stared for so long. "Oh, sorry, sir. What did you say?"

They laughed. "Sir? That's much too formal of a title for a fellow initiate. I'm Alva Kay, but please just call me Alva."

Max blinked, thrown off by the informality of their introduction. "Uh, Max-Maxwell. Bishop, Maxwell Bishop. Everyone just calls me Max, though." He stared at the ground, feeling flustered and embarrassed.

"Good evening, Max. I was saying that you ought to take a seat. There's no use standing just to stand."

Max found himself automatically sitting down with a seat between them, struggling to not stare. Through his furtive glances, he became uncomfortably aware of their cool stare. "I must confess, I've never seen any of your kind before," Alva said. "which is extraordinarily strange given the many kinds of people that pass through port. What are you, might I ask?"

Max was silent, both unsure how to answer the question and shocked that they even asked the question. No one would've asked before because of how clear it was Max could not claim a pure heritage. No one would believe him if he told them he was Capran or Draagen, since it was clear to anyone who knew of both races that he was neither. With no heritage to claim as ones own, how could he really answer that question?

"Uh, I don't have a, er, heritage to claim, si-." Max caught himself before he said 'sir' again.

"You don't? There are truly no others like you?"

Max shook his head. "No. I'm...unique." He said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. He was the only one out of three siblings that anyone could tell was anything other than Capran, like mom was.

"How delightful! I was hoping to see some interesting people during my trip here, but I never expected to see a one-of-a-kind person."

Their excitement only continued to confound Max. He was saved from trying to make a polite response to that statement by the door opening, a stocky Kainer woman with a blocky muzzle entering the room and closing the door behind her. "Alright you two, let's get this over with. Who's up first?"

Max looked at Alva. He had no idea what the 'inspection' entailed, but he didn't like the sound of it at all.

"What is this 'inspection'?" Alva asked.

"Checking you for any diseases. The last thing anyone wants is for the blight to run rampant through the dorms again."

"Well, in that case, no reason to worry. No one in the Kay family has ever had the misfortune of catching the blight."

She wasn't amused in Max's estimation. "Everyone has to be signed off. Please step behind the screen, this won't take long."

"As you wish, my dear."

The woman followed Alva behind the screen, where Max could no longer see either of them. Both of their inspections didn't take long. Max was coerced into disrobing in her presence, and she was none to shy about looking, poking, prodding, and generally being inside Max's personal space, even shamelessly touching his most sensitive spots. At the end of it though, she declared that they were both healthy, and left them alone again.

"You look a tad ruffled. Was she rougher with you than me?"

Max felt all the more embarrassed his self-consciousness was showing so blatantly. "No, I'm fine."

"Well, good then. I must confess, I've never been anywhere that would have doubted my health so much as to have a healer look me over. Is that normal?"

Max shook his head. "No, it's, uh, quite strange. But I can't blame them if they don't want the blight spreading everywhere."

The door opened again, Blair poking his head in. "You two, come with me. We need to discuss your future here."

Max didn't like the way the way that sounded, but he didn't have much choice but to follow the magician to a small study, where he took a seat behind the desk which dominated the room. Max couldn't help but stare wide-eyed and the shelf on one wall that was full of books; he'd never seen so many books in his whole life.

Max brought his attention back to the magician who began speaking. "I've had words with the Grand Maester about y'all's future here. I didn't think he'd let you both attend, but it turns out he's fine with y'all attending at the same time, despite your bunk arrangements."

"'Bunk' arrangements?" Alva asked.

"Your rooms where you'll be staying. Y'all will be sharing a permanent placement house. Normally y'all would never be allowed to live so close to each other, but with space the way it is around here, we have to make an exception this time. Best we can hope is to give you separate rooms."

The corners of Alva's mouth turned down. "Wait, I'll have my own room? No one will be sharing a room with me?"

The magician raised an eyebrow. "Yes, though I figured you'd be happier. Most would be pleased to not have to share a room with others. Those in the dorms have to share a room with at least three others. A few fit eight."

"I would like a room in the dorms, then."

Max gaped at Alva. Who would give up a private room? "Can't do that. We'd have to turn you away before letting that happen."

The corners of Alva's mouth turned down. "Why not?"

"Well, it's a tricky situation, see. Put you with the men, and I'd bet at least one'd force himself on you just for shits and giggles. Put you with the women and you're just as likely to find yourself a bedmate. Too much temptation either way, so we remove temptation where we can."

Alva's eyes turned cold. "Do you mean sex? If so, why should the Academy care who I have sex with?"

Max was beginning to understand why they had called themselves a manling. Blair leaned forward, giving Alva a hard stare. "I don't give a damn who you take to bed, but the Academy does, whether you like it or not. So, neither of y'all will be in either sex's dorms, nor will you allow anyone else into your rooms. Got it?"

"That is the most ridiculous-"

"I said, got it?" Blair growled, interrupting Alva.

Alva was silent for a few tense moments. "Yes." The said curtly.

"Good." He turned to Max. "What about you?"

"Yes, sir. I understand, sir." Max said hurriedly.

Blair relaxed. "Well, with that settled then, we've just got one last thing before I show you both to your rooms." He opened a desk drawer and pulled out two sheets of parchment with writing on them. "Names?" He said, looking up expectantly at the two of them.

"Alva Kay."

"Max-Maxwell Bishop, sir."

He took a quill and wrote on the two documents, setting one in front of Max, and one in front of Alva. "Y'all need to sign these. They're your contract with the Academy. Here's what you need to know." He held up one finger. "You'll abide by the rules of the Academy, or face whatever punishments the Academy deems fit." He held up another finger. "Should you make novice, you'll have to pay the school your tuition three days after achieving novice." He held up a third finger. "If you don't make novice, you'll be kicked out of the Academy until next year, but you won't have to pay us anything." He held out a fourth finger "If you can't pay at that time, you'll become a servant to the Academy for three years after graduation to magician as a form of payment. You'll lose most rights of citizenship until your time is up." He held up a fifth finger. "In exchange, the Academy will teach you how to use your innate ability, which includes training in skills that magic applies well to. The Academy will also cover room, board, and uniforms for you. Any questions?" He said, glaring at Alva as if daring them to ask a question.

But Alva merely said. "No. I already know what's in that contract."

"And you?" He said to Max.

Max swallowed hard. He knew about the service, of course, but sitting here with the knowledge that he was about to sign his life away for three years terrified him. But he had little choice, so he nodded mutely.

"Good." He pulled out two needles. "Now, I need y'all to prick a finger, thumb if possible, and put a little blood in that circle there. Once you've done that, contract's in full effect and you've officially joined the academy."

They took their needles, Max hesitating before pricking the black pad on his thumb, watching a little blood well up. Trying to contain the shaking in his hands, he pressed his thumb to the circle, and it let out a small hiss. He pulled his thumb back to find that the blood appeared to have dried immediately on the page. He handed his document back to Blair along with the needle. The contract went back into his desk, and the needle went into a cup with several other needles. He did the same thing with Alva's contract and needle.

Blair stood up, signaling the end of their little meeting. Max looked over at Alva, and could tell they were furious at Blair. They stared daggers at his back as they both followed him out of the study.

They walked through the castle, going back the way they came, the magician talking as he walked. "Your rooms will technically be with magicians who've opted to continue working for the Academy after completing their training. If it weren't for being what you are, you'd have to graduate as a magician to even have a shot at these rooms, so you best count yourselves lucky." Blair said, giving a look to Alva that dared them to speak up, though they remained silent. "Servants will come around every other day to clean and launder anything you need. Just leave your dirty clothes on the bed and they'll return them that evening freshly laundered. Just remember that they aren't your personal servants, so don't try to give them other tasks to do. They will simply ignore your requests. Meals are served at sunrise, at noon, and an hour before sunset in the dining hall. Don't bother the kitchen servants between meals for food either, they won't give you anything. Training starts immediately after breakfast, goes through lunch, and then continues until dinner, every day."

They went back out into the expansive entry hall. There were quite a few people in magician's uniforms milling about, casting curious glances at Max and Alva. "Now, from here you'll be able to get to the three places you'll need. Through those large doors over there-" He pointed to a large set of double doors on the left side of the hall. "-lead to the dining hall. Across from it is the way to the initiate training room. Bathhouse is out the main doors and behind the castle." He walked towards the grand entry doors, Max and Alva following behind. They went outside, and around the castle. Max was surprised at the number of outbuildings they passed. There were a variety of styles, though most were plain stone, clearly designed to stand the test of time at the expense of aesthetic.

They passed by a large stable, and stopped in front of a low building adjacent to it. "Here we are, your new home."

The building was fairly plain, with simple faded wood siding. It was somewhat larger than Max's family home was, though it wasn't quite the size of the local overseer's house. The magician opened the iron-handled door, leading them both inside. They walked into a small living space, with a plush couch and chairs situated around a fireplace. Off to one side was a small four-person table, and a small kitchen with a little iron stove.

"It's one of the more modest houses, but it should be more than enough for the two of you." The magician pointed to two doors at the back of the room. "Those two rooms are off limits. They're the bunks of the two magicians in the Academy's employment who are away on Academy business. The other two rooms are free for you both to use, as is the central parlor." He walked over to one of the empty rooms and peeked inside. "Looks like I'll have to have fresh linens and blankets delivered to your rooms." He looked to Max. "You ought to drop your things here, boy. Dinner's already started, and y'all are gonna miss it if we don't get a move on. Wouldn't want y'all to miss the initiate's feast."

Feeling suddenly very harried, Max dropped his bag in one of the chairs. Seeing Max was ready to go, Blair started to leave, then stopped. "Oh, and before I forget, y'all's use of the bathhouse is limited. 'Cause we can't take any chances, y'all will be only allowed to use it after hours, when it's normally closed to all."

Alva gave Blair an exaggerated sigh. Max was more curious than anything. He'd never had the opportunity to use a bathhouse before. The best he could hope for was a tub in the house, and that wasn't often for how difficult it was to get a bath ready. The two of them followed Blair back to the castle, and when they got there, Max understood what he'd meant when he'd said a feast. A series of long, low tables spanned the length of the hall, and along the length of each was more food than Max had ever seen in one place at one time, even at the yearly Thurian festival. Everyone sat in clear groups according to the color of their uniform, with virtually no exceptions. Near the back corner of the room sat a small group of uniformless people, most of them looking as uneasy as Max felt.

"Go sit with your peers. If you come up with any other questions, ask me tomorrow after your first training session. Enjoy the feast."

Blair left them, and Alva made no hesitation to move towards the back of the room, Max following a beat later. Alva took a seat in the empty space between the crimson-uniformed group and the plain-clothes group, Max taking a seat immediately beside them. He surveyed the array of steaming dishes, half of them things he didn't even recognize. It had been a long time since breakfast, and as everyone else was already eating, he didn't hesitate to begin filling his plate from the platters and bowls set in front of him, choosing things that looked at least somewhat familiar. Alva paused for a moment before filling their plate, ignoring the meat dishes and going for smaller portions than Max, who mounded his plate with food.

Max did not look up from his plate, the food was so good. He planned in his mind what dishes he would have next, though about halfway though his first plate, he began to feel sick, primarily from how rich the food was. The food was too good to even think about leaving on his plate, though, so he continued eating anyways.

Alva nudged Max with an elbow, giving Max a half-smile. "Easy there, the food's not going anywhere."

Feeling sheepish, especially since Alva was clearly eating much more slowly than Max, he swallowed. "Sorry. It's just so good."

Alva laughed. "Well, I'm glad you think so. I've personally had better, but it does beat the slop we had on the ship. There's not many ways to make stonetack palatable."

Max resumed eating, deliberately trying to slow down. No longer buried in his food, he noticed Alva sat straight as easily as Max slouched and ate delicately from their plate, as if they had to make their plateful of food last. He found that strange when the people around them were much more relaxed, and there was food aplenty.

"You ought to have some more." Max said, gesturing to the table. "There's still a lot here, and I'd hate to let it go to waste."

Alva shook their head. "Oh, no. I've had more than my fill, thank you."

Max shrugged, resuming eating. A minute or so later, a deep voice thundered above the din. "Excuse me! Quiet down all!" The voice carried so well over the din that it was only a few short moments before everyone fell silent. Max looked around, and his eyes landed on a Kainer fellow standing up on a raised platform at one end of the room, not far from where Max was sitting. He was tall, though not overly broad. He wore a uniform like everyone else, save for an additional medallion than hung from his neck.

"Thank you. For those of you who don't know, I'm known around here as Head Maester Gretchen, the appointed overseer of the Academy. We gather here today to celebrate those who have elected to start their journey here at the Academy. We're very happy to have you, despite what I'm sure Blair told you." There was a smattering of laughs at the joke. "Those with the talent and the attitude to take on the challenge before you are hard to come by. One or the other make finding willing initiates a challenge, but the two of them together make you all a rare breed indeed. Make no mistake, you have set yourself on a challenging journey, but not an impossible one, though this next month will push all of you to your limits. I can promise you, however, that it will only get better after you prove your fortitude and gain control of your abilities. Hold on too that ray of light, however thin it may seem in the throes of your trials and tribulations."

He cleared his throat. "Anyways, I won't keep you all any longer. Some of you have last-minute arrangements to make before tomorrow, and I can assure you that you won't have time to make said arrangements after tonight. Oh, and," He paused. "welcome to the Academy."

He stepped down off of the platform, and the room erupted into applause. As the applause died down, people began to get up and leave. Not knowing of anything else to do, and having already eaten enough to feel thoroughly miserable, Max joined the queue filing out of the dining hall, Alva following closely behind. When he stepped out into the cooling night air, almost all of the students around him headed towards the front gate, in the opposite direction of where he wanted to go.

Max started to head back towards his room, but a hand on his shoulder made him jump.

"Aren't you going to arrange for your things to be brought to your room?"

Max was unable to fight his ears pinning back as embarrassment rose in his gut. "No, I, uh, don't have anything else."

Alva gave Max an almost pitying look. "Ah. Well, I'm off to get my things. I'll see you back at our house?"

"Yeah, see you there."

Alva pulled Max into a quick hug, shocking Max before walking off, leaving him alone. He stood there for a second, unsure how to react to being hugged by a stranger, before walking back around the castle to his new home. When he stepped through the front door, he was pleasantly surprised to find that someone had gotten a fire started while they were away. The fireplace was cold when they left, and it would've taken him some time to get a good fire started from nothing. A warm fire was nice to sit by at the end of the day, even if it was already fairly warm. As much as he wanted to sit by it and reflect on the whirlwind of a day it had been so far, he was exhausted, and he could feel a warm bed calling his name.

Max picked up his bag from where he'd left it earlier and stepped into one of the rooms. There was a stack of fresh linens on the bed, so Max made quick work of making the bed, setting his bag down on one side of the chest of drawers, deciding he would unpack it tomorrow. Having finished making the bed, he shed most his clothing, folding his nice clothes neatly and tucking them away in an empty drawer in the chest of drawers. He paused for a moment, then reached down and fished an old pair of breeches out of his bag and slipped them on. At home he might've been okay in just underwear, but here with a stranger sleeping one room over he felt he ought to wear something a little more modest.

Max climbed into bed, marveling at the softness of the linens and blanket on the bed. Though he was exhausted from a stressful day, a knot settled in his gut as he contemplated what was in store for him tomorrow. He had no idea what to expect, but if it was half as bad as Blair made it out to be, it was going to worse than anything he could imagine, and he was imagining some pretty horrible stuff. The minutes ticked by, and just when he was starting to drift off, he heard the distant sound of the front door opening.

"Max? Are you in here?" Alva's muffled voice called through the door.

Max sighed. "Yeah."

The door opened and Alva poked their head in, light spilling into Max's room. "You're in bed already?"

"Yeah."

Alva raised an eyebrow, but made no further comment. Their head disappeared for a moment. "Put them in the other room. Be careful, please!"

The door opened wide, silhouetting Alva with their hands on their hips as they scanned Max's room. "Well, I think we can fit the other bed on that wall, don't you?"

Max sat up in bed, staring at Alva with his eyebrows scrunched together. "Why do we need another bed in here?"

"Well, for me to sleep in, of course. I'm not sleeping on the floor."

"Isn't there a bed in the other room?"

"Yes, but I have no idea why they have it in the other room. It's always much nicer to share a room with others." They paused, searching Max's expression, their smile fading. "Isn't it?"

Max knew he didn't want to share a room with a complete stranger if he could avoid it. A few months in the barracks made that clear to Max. "Uh, I dunno...why would we share a room if there's two empty rooms available?"

Alva seemed abashed, their ears twitching. "Oh, I just thought...never mind, if you really want a room to yourself, I'll just take the other. It's not a problem. I'll just leave you to rest now. Sleep well."

They hurried away, closing the door behind them. Max could hear them talking to people outside Max's room, before several footsteps plodded away, followed by the front door closing.

Max sighed, continuing to listen to Alva's light footsteps move in the parlor until they went quiet. Max rolled over, struggling to calm back down to sleep, having been jostled awake, so he lay there thinking about Alva. They seemed nice enough, but were one of the strangest people Max had ever met. He already wished they wouldn't touch him, and the assumption that he even wanted to share a room with them irritated Max. It was his room, and he was going to be reluctant to give up his private space, especially to have space away from Alva. But he also had a vague sense of guilt, since it was clear he'd disappointed Alva by not sharing a room with them, for reasons he couldn't fathom.