Page 44 of Demon of Dreams

“What if we already know the haven we want to apply to? Can we use this time to work on other assignments or spells instead?”

Romero gave her a knowing smile. “You may think you already know, Rekha, but by the end of the semester, you may feel differently. That’s the entire point of this course. Even if all you gain is a deeper understanding of why you’re applying to your chosen haven, and not applying to the other ones, it will be time well-spent. And remember, you’re not just getting to know your chosen haven—they’re getting to know you. Whether you end up a member is as much their choice as yours.”

She looked like she wanted to object, but Romero clapped his hands and turned his attention to the rest of the class.

“We’ll begin with an exploration of the three oldest havens: Hex, Hunt, and Heal. Before Vesperwood existed, beforeanyuniversities existed, there were individual havens for these three magical specialties around the world. Whether they functioned as guilds, as clubs, as societies, monasteries, or houses of wisdom, witches have always gathered to improve their casting, to defend and protect, and to heal those who needed it.”

I noticed he didn’t say who these witches were defending themselves from. I got the impression Romero wasn’t a person who ruffled feathers unnecessarily.

“Whenl’Accademia del Soprannaturalewas founded alongside the University of Bologna in the twelfth century, it represented the unification ofIl Rifugio dei Maghi,Il Rifugio dei Cacciatori, andIl Rifiguio dei Guaritoriwhich had existed separately for centuries. The magicalshuyuanof Tang Dynasty China combined these fields of study as well, as did ancient centers of learning in India, Persia, and elsewhere. To this day, it is expected that all magical colleges and universities will include at least these three havens.”

My mind reeled, trying to take all the information in. Felix had mentioned Gallo studying in Europe, but I hadn’t really registered that there must be magical universities all over the world, dating back a millennium or more.

Romero explained that we’d each pick one of those three havens to study this week, writing a paper on that haven’s history at Vesperwood and its relationship with a sister haven at a university in at least one other country. Then he turned us loose to gather sources.

Ash made a face at Felix. “Heal?” he said.

“What else?” Felix pointed a few bookcases down the aisle. “I think some of the histories of Vesperwood are down there. We should grab them before anyone else does.”

“You want to do Heal too, Cory?” Ash asked over his shoulder as he and Felix wove their way through the crowd towards the bookcase Felix had indicated. Little eddies of activity swirled through the library as small groups of students moved towards different shelves.

“Yes, please,” I said, tagging along. I did not relish the idea of trying to complete this assignment on my own.

Felix’s fingers traced quickly across the spines of books when we reached the bookcase he’d indicated. Half the titles were written in languages that definitely weren’t English, but that didn’t seem to phase him. Every so often, he’d pull a book two inches out, but leave it on the shelf, marking ones he wanted to go back to.

“What did you mean when you said, ‘what else?’” I asked him. “Why’d you guys pick Heal?”

Ash was the one who answered. “Because can you honestly imagine us researching one of the other two? I mean, it’s not like there are that many paranormal healers either, but I definitely don’t need to spend a week researching the history of the two havens most firmly devoted to exterminating people like me.”

“Exterminating?” I said, my eyes going wide. It sounded suspiciously like what Sean had said at lunch. My stomach tightened. If people truly did want to exterminate paranormal beings, that probably included me.

“I told you Ash exaggerates,” Felix said, not taking his eyes from the books.

“I do not,” Ash replied tartly. He looked over at me. “The reason Hex, Hunt, and Heal are the oldest havens is because those are the specialties most directly related to witches finding and killing paranormal beings—and then being healed, if they get injured in their attacks.”

“Jesus,” I whispered.

“And even though we’re supposedly living in more tolerant times, those havens are pretty much closed to people like me and Felix. I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if we tried to apply to them. Even Heal would be a stretch. I can’t think of a single witch who’d be excited to have a paranormal healer work on them.”

“There’s Helmut Schiller,” Felix said absently, his fingers pulling out a green, cloth-bound book with gold lettering on the spine. This one, he pulled all the way off the shelf, flipping it open to scan the table of contents. “And Naoko Takeda.”

“Helmut Schiller has been dead for forty years,” Ash retorted. “And he died in questionable circumstances, I might add. And Naoko Takeda mostly heals paranormals, and you know it. I don’t see a lot of witches beating down her door.”

“You always see the glass half empty,” Felix murmured.

“Because itis.”

“So, wait.” I shook my head. “This whole haven thing. Is it like choosing a major at a regular university?”

“Kind of,” Ash said. “If your major determined your career path and social standing for the rest of your life”

“And there are majors—havens, I mean—which only exist to hunt and kill paranormal beings?” I said, aghast. “How is that even allowed?”

“Becauseon paper, that’s not their focus anymore. Hexers work on furthering casting techniques for more than just battle spells. And Hunters work for collective defense, not offense, and only against‘proven’ malefactors. Supposedly.” Ash’s tone made it clear what he thought of that.

“So what are paranormal students supposed to major in—I mean, apply to, for havens?”

“History, mostly,” Ash said. “Or Harmony, that’s another ‘safe’ one, where they figure we can’t get into too much trouble. Maybe Hearth or Harvest, depending on the innate abilities your magic gives you.”

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