Spycraft Academy B. Miles (new ebook reader txt) 📖

the school. A huge archway served as the front gate, a long rampart running above it. Sam craned his neck as he passed underneath, his heart beating to the rhythm of unabashed joy. He was here. His eyes roamed from the ceiling of the archway to the open campus, 'wow' being the only coherent thought bouncing through his mind. The green grass glistened, neatly cut and parting only for the white and grey cobblestone walkways. A few large trees dotted the quad, positioned over curved iron benches and sleek wooden tables. Sam wasn't paying attention to where he was going, which is why he almost ran into the person in front of him when the group halted.

"Alright, listen carefully!" Lebert shouted.

Sam's eyes found his recruiter standing on a wooden table to boost his height far above the group. Synjon and a woman stood to either side of him. The massive double doors of the castle loomed right behind them, the surrounding buildings and walkways filling up with students who walked by without a glance.

"You will be taken to your dorms in just a few minutes, and from there you'll have some time to get comfortable before you're summoned again."

He clasped the woman on the shoulder. "This is Gyna, she'll be taking over from here. I don't want to receive any reports about misconduct, so do behave yourselves."

Gyna turned without fanfare and shouted for them to follow her, and they moved forward like a lumbering herd. Her loud voice echoed off the stones as she spoke. Sam tried to pay attention, but he kept getting distracted by the wonders around him. “All of the buildings you see in the quad are classrooms. Since you're first years, you won't have the pleasure of seeing the inside of them unless you get past the first semester."

Sam thought they'd go through the huge double doors, but instead, Gyna took a left and led them past. The group was mostly silent, probably taking everything in more than abiding by Lebert's earlier instructions to keep their heads down and stay quiet.

They filed through a side door tucked into a corner of the quad before filtering into a large entry hall. From there, they were taken to see the first-year classroom hall, which was attached to the stairwell of the meditation tower. They passed the mess hall and the second-year hallway, then they exited into a courtyard.

"This is the first-year dorm space. The courtyard is yours, and that building is where you'll be living for the next year of your life." She pointed to the far end of the courtyard where a huge grey building stood, perfectly square and utilitarian. No decorations or embellishments. It almost looked like the jailhouse in the capital.

"Once you get inside, you'll see your names on your dorm rooms. Dorm mates are non-negotiable outside of extreme circumstances, so I suggest you learn to get along. We've matched you up well, so I don't expect any issues out of you."

She folded her arms and went quiet. The rest of them were equally as silent, waiting on instructions. Sam tried not to bounce on the balls of his feet; his nervous energy made it uncomfortable to stand still.

Gyna pursed her lips and made a shooing motion, "Well, go on, find your rooms. The bell will summon you for orientation."

Slowly, the group slipped past her toward the dorms. Sam took a deep breath and shouldered his pack before glancing down at Mattie. "You ready?"

Her expression was severe and concentrated. "Yeah. C'mon."

Sam took her hand and they followed the group into the building. After passing the dorm's stone threshold, he immediately found himself in a sizable common area. A merry fire crackled at the far end of the room and impossibly long couches were positioned strategically around the wide hearth.

"Wow,” Mattie breathed. He agreed.

The entire stone floor was covered in plush wine-colored carpet, the walls littered with soft banners, furs, animal skulls, plaques, and old weapons, filling the entire room with stories of people long gone from its halls.

It was a bit overwhelming to be in such a fine room with fifty other people milling around in him. By the fine trousers and skirts they were all wearing, the lot of them looked wealthy, but thankfully nobody was paying attention to Sam and Mattie.

"Hey."

Sam startled at the voice at his shoulder and whipped his head around to find a young man grinning at him. He had a crooked smile, deep brown eyes, and long ropes of thick black hair tied at the nape of his neck. Sam looked at the man's shoes. They were muddy, but the buckle on them shone through the filth in a few spots. Another noble.

He glanced unsurely at Mattie, who looked just as confused as him.

"You're Samson Croft?"

Sam nodded slowly, wary of where this was going. How did he know?

"Ah," Sam said.

"Yes, well, superb. Fletcher Rorex, at your service, but you're welcome to call me Fletch." He gave Sam a flourishing bow and Sam wasn't sure whether he should turn away or bow back. Mattie gave Sam a mildly scathing look as if he'd done something wrong, and then he realized that he was just staring at Fletch without saying a word.

"Uh, nice to meet you."

"Indeed." Fletch straightened and tossed his hair over his shoulder. "I saw your name on your cabin in the ship, and then just now on my dorm door. It seems we're to be roommates."

"Oh, alright. Well, that's ah . . . good news?" Sam mentally kicked himself in the ass. He didn't realize they'd been on the boat together. He was usually observant enough to recognize a face he'd been traveling with for weeks. Sam could forgive himself such a careless mistake in this instance; his world had been flipped upside down, he hadn't been paying attention to the people around him. Still, he was not making a good impression on his apparent roommate... his noble roommate.

Fletch's eyes darted between Sam and Mattie for a moment