Chapter 30
Levi noted that the cafeteria had pulled out all the stops setting up that morning’s meals. He saw a lot of stuff that usually only came one at a time. There were huge fowls roasted up like turkeys, though with four legs, bowls of puddings, platters of cakes, and a salad display that might still have been potted. Nox looked like she was going to start drooling at the sight of the cake, so Levi made sure to get his arm free before she raced off to claim her share. Even after knowing her for months, her reaction to seeing pastries amused him.
The smells were so enticing that Flix opened her eyes and lifted her head to get a better sniff. The dragonet let out a few chimes and then hissed, her head pointing in the direction of a grilled slab of animal. He’d have thought it was a whole roasted cow, but the shape was completely wrong. “If that is what you want, that’s what you’ll get,” Levi promised as he headed over to get his own meal.
Levi met Nox at their usual table, and the fact that her platter was covered with cake had him smiling. “Okay, Nox, I have to ask… do elves digest sugar differently, or is that just a you thing?”
Nox blushed, making Levi wonder if he had hurt her feelings. She paused in raising a forkful of cake to her mouth and her ears drooped slightly. “It’s a me thing. The dimension I come from has some very strict rules about where a person is in society. I was born to a very low caste; my family were animal tenders… in my dimension that meant we weren’t worth much. We didn’t have any coin growing up and we could never afford desserts. When my magic manifested and the Academy took me in, I decided I was going to eat whatever I wanted. I get a small stipend from Fox House, and I send as much as I can back home to my parents. I’ve given them enough that they’ve been able to move to another dimension where they can live without being judged by their birth,” she finished proudly.
Levi took a moment and closed his hand around her unoccupied hand. He gave her palm a squeeze and made sure she was looking at his face. “That’s great, it is awesome that you can help your family like that. If eating desserts makes you feel free, then eat all the cupcakes you want. You deserve it,” he said quietly. She flushed again—this time with happiness, judging by her smile—and Levi smiled back at her.
They shared a quiet moment, and then Levi’s stomach protested the lack of food entering his mouth. Nox giggled at him, so Levi sliced a full third of the meat off and set it aside for Flix. The dragonet hopped off his shoulder to begin eating while Levi looked around for Zuzan. His squirrel friend was hiding behind Nox’s plate, stuffing her face with a small cake of her own. He shook his head and left her to it; she’d have a stomachache later, but he would make sure she ate better for dinner. They took to their food with determination and Levi did his best not to gawk at the speed Nox’s cake disappeared.
Toward the end of the meal, Levi’s arm began to tingle with a sharp sensation. He raised his hand to touch the tattoo. Would any students or faculty who experienced a strange dream regarding a burning cave and a young woman please report to the main hall—The Director, displayed across the notice. Levi frowned and looked up at Nox; she had the look of someone reading her own emblem, then she shook her head and met his gaze.
“I have to go to the main hall,” she said regretfully.
“You too?” Levi asked in surprise. She nodded, so they both got ready to go. Flix and Zuzan sensed his mood and ran up his arms to settle on his shoulders. The sylvan squirrel squeaked at him and patted his ear with her front limb. Once they’d cleared their dishes they headed out. Levi was glad he could follow Nox; the Fox House upperclassman was quick in showing him several shortcuts through smaller hallways as they made their way to the big central hall. “These are old halls from when servants weren’t meant to walk among the students. Only some of the inner buildings have them, but the ones that do let you cross the halls quickly,” she explained.
Levi nodded, doing his best to memorize the pathways they were taking. Most of the narrow corridors had entrances behind tapestries or larger paintings. Levi wasn’t surprised. “I should have known the giant castle had secret tunnels,” he muttered, and she giggled as she looked over at him.
“They’re not really secret—almost all high lords build their manors in a way that lets the servants move unmolested. You can tell how they feel about the servant class though. If the tunnels are cramped, hard to move in, and dimly lit, the lords probably didn’t give a damn about their servants,” she said. Nox had a frown on her face that led Levi to think she was talking about conditions she was familiar with.
Once they’d emerged from the side tunnels, Levi looked up at the entrance to the main hall. The doors were large enough for a twenty-foot-tall giant to walk through without ducking and was carved to resemble a pair of huge mountains split with the sun between. The doors were already open and Levi saw several others moving around in the room. The hall itself had been emptied and the space was filled with cots. Injured men and women lay on the cots, most covered in bandages, and Levi realized he was looking at the survivors of the destroyed airships. He felt a little guilty that he hadn’t given the men a second thought, then focused on the pink form among them. This time, Levi had his glasses on—he made out the figure of a nine-foot-tall woman with over a dozen tentacles emerging from her back. She had a shapeless face and a head that resembled a squid’s cone. A quintet of black eyes formed a five-pointed shape in the center of her head, and her mouth looked like a small circular orifice with a pale beak inside. He assumed he was looking at Silvia from the infirmary. “I really should apologize to her,” he murmured, and when Nox looked at him, he explained. “I didn’t have my glasses when I was brought to this world and suffering a serious mana drain. She treated me and I said something stupid because I didn’t know what was going on.”
She nodded and seemed to accept that response. She offered him a smile and he smiled back. When he looked around the room, he spotted the Director floating near the far wall of the chamber. The robed figure had a few students and teachers gathered around them, so Levi motioned for Nox to head that way with him. As they grew closer, Levi saw Darren and Elizabeth, as well as Tawny. Sadly, Vardis from Bear House was also there, though the man looked banged up: his rocky skin was cracked in several places and a crusty black dust surrounded the breaks. When they joined the others, the Director motioned for them to stand silently, so Levi looked toward the entrance to see if anyone else was going to join them.
They probably waited another fifteen minutes before the Director turned to focus the empty slits in their mask at them. “The representative of the Costilian Empire has informed us that a person of significance was on board the airship that crashed in the woods. This individual is gifted with powerful divination magics and sent out a distress call in the form of a dream. Those of you gathered here are going to launch an expedition to find the wreckage and rescue the young lady. I expect all personal differences to be set aside. You are to work as a team and represent the Academy to the best of your abilities, is that clear?” the soundless voice resonated in Levi’s mind. As each of them nodded, the robed figure turned to beckon a warrior in full plate to approach them.
At seven-and-a-half-feet tall, the warrior was an imposing figure, and Levi immediately took in the huge sword strapped across his back. A kite shield was marked with the symbol that had been painted on the sides of the airship, and the man was casually holding it off the ground. The man’s head surprised Levi the most—the warrior looked like someone had beheaded a lion and sewn it onto a man’s neck, golden mane and all. His eyes gleamed with intelligence and Levi was shocked by the vibrant blue coloring. When his jaw opened, Levi expected a huge roaring voice that shook the chamber; instead, the guy sounded like a normal person.
“Greetings, students, I am Sir Alfred Chambers and I am the highest-ranking survivor of the imperial fleet. I and several of my men will be escorting you to the crash site in hopes of finding the Princess Veronica Gale. Needless to say, none of you are to lay your hands upon the princess and her safety is our highest priority,” the tall figure said.
Levi raised an eyebrow at the comments. Is he saying we’re disposable and they’ll throw us under the bus for this princess? he wondered. Before he could open his mouth and say something stupid, the Director turned to face the knight. Levi almost laughed to see the tall lion back up a step in clear unease.
“Sir Alfred Chambers, I do hope you understand that the students of this Academy and those who teach them are MY highest priority, and I expect them to return in reasonable condition. I am certain that you’ll give my people the same care I intended to provide all of your wounded sailors. Anything less would be… dishonorable,” the robed figure stated.
The knight’s ears folded down and vanished into his mane, and Levi had to bite his lip to keep from grinning as the leonine man realized he might have offended the being who’d singlehandedly killed a Major Horror above the school. The knight’s lips peeled back to reveal sharp fangs and he reached up to scratch the bottom of his mane.
“Er, yes of course Director, I would never dream of neglecting your faculty or students. Please understand my concern for the princess has caused me to speak imprudently,” the man apologized—Levi noticed he wasn’t the only one who was struggling to avoid a smile.
The Director turned back to the gathered students and their blank, dented mask reflected the room’s lights at them. “Students, please return to your rooms as quickly as you can and gather supplies for an extended trip. My reckoning places the downed airship approximately two days away from the Academy and the crash site is spread over several miles. No matter how strange the details of the dreams you had, please use them to discover where the princess might be hiding. I have been informed that you will become aware if the princess dies—the connection she forged will alert you. In addition, I cannot guarantee that every single Horror has been killed, practice caution and restraint.” The figure had seemed to glance in Levi’s direction when the words echoed out.
Gloved hands rose and clapped together, though they produced little sound. Then the Director motioned for them all to be on their way, so Levi turned to go. Nox remained at his side and Levi was flattered that she made no effort to hide it when she took his hand. Zuzan chittered several times, the first sounds she had made since they entered the room. Flix trilled back and Levi looked at the beasts; both were staring at Sir Chambers, and Levi couldn’t help but wonder what was on their minds. Nox rested her head against Levi’s side for a moment, and then looked up at him.
“We’re going to rescue a princess, that’s pretty crazy,” she whispered. Levi nodded and looked down at her, kissing her on the forehead.
“Maybe it is selfish, but my goal is going to make sure you and Tawny make it back to the Academy. I don’t think that knight is going to give a damn if we all get torn apart out there,” he said quietly.
Nox frowned, and then looked over her should at the leonine warrior. When she turned back to look at Levi, he saw that her face had composed itself in neutral lines. She narrowed her eyes and her ears rose before she let out a sniff.
“If that overgrown cat thinks he can sacrifice any of my friends to save his precious noble, he’s going to learn why no one at Fox House questions my abilities,” she said quietly. Levi remembered the sight of Darren wandering the school with a sack of ice strapped to his crotch and he let out a laugh—then his eyes glowed crimson for a moment as his mood reflected his darker thoughts.
“You tell them, Nox. We’re not going to let anyone kick us around. Now, let’s get back to our Houses and pack for the trip. I need to make sure I have all the healing potions for Zuzan and Flix, just in case we run into trouble out there,” Levi confirmed.
They stopped talking and each seemed to sink into contemplation. Levi extended his elbow again and accepted Nox’s grip as they went together. She led him down several more servant tunnels, and he learned a few new pathways before reaching the Fox House wing. The Fox wing saw the end of servant tunnels to use as shortcuts, leaving them back in the main hallways. Levi saw several of the Fox House students moving around, and most looked at Nox with expressions of respect. Several gave similar glances toward him, so he nodded back to them respectfully.
He gave Nox a kiss at the hall that led to the Raven House tower, then he headed up on his own. It was time to save a princess.
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