Page 25 of The Song of Sunrise
Something slams against the window.
“Ah!” I scream and back away from the wall.
In less than a second, Ramona has an arm in front of me, crouching with a short dagger in hand. I didn’t even notice her approach, let alone the dagger.
“Oh it’s just Miki. Stupid cat, scared the stars out of me,” Ramona says as she stands up, spinning her dagger once in her hand before effortlessly sliding it into a compartment of her cargo pants.
The beige cat’s face is squished against the library’s glass wall, eyes staring directly at me.
“Miki belongs to the Master Librarian, Len,” Ramona starts explaining as we move toward an open area with four round stone door frames. Each leads into a small room entirely made of glass.
How perplexing. There are no windows, just a glass box that looks big enough for only a few people.
“Really, the library is a pretty great place, if you don’t mind the cat and awful Master Librarian. It goes below ground for quite a few floors, eventually leading to restricted sections so far below ground you start to get dizzy from all the dust, or so I’ve heard. Never ventured down low enough to see for myself.
“This whole place feels a little bit like a maze when you first arrive, but you’ll get used to it in no time.” Ramona stops in front of one of the archways and presses her thumb to a smooth black stone. She gestures for me to get inside the glass cage.
“What is this room?” I hesitantly step inside. My skin itches to get out the moment we are in the suffocating transparent box, panic slowly tunneling my vision being enclosed in a small space.
“Long ago, someone must have gotten sick of the stairs, so they enchanted these glass boxes to float up and down to the various levels of the Academy.”
Ramona presses another polished onyx stone with a large number “4” and waits. The whole room begins to vibrate and whirr. A dim, light blue glow illuminates the corners.
“Source magic,” Ramona explains, likely prompted by my gaping stare. “Floors one and two are mainly shared spaces, like the Library and Main Hall, but there are also classrooms and meeting rooms down there too. Cadet quarters are on levels three and four. Our room is on four.” She points to the glowing stone with the number “4” to emphasize her point.
The enormity of this castle almost outweighs the enormity of my decision to come here in the first place. From what I saw outside, it looks at least ten stories of sleek white stone fused into the side of the cliff. It’s going to take ages to figure out how to get around this place without getting lost.
Ramona doesn’t seem to be as comfortable with silence as me by proof of her consistent chatter. Though, I don’t mind it. I’ve always appreciated when other people drive conversation.
As a Prentice Teller, Marrow would always explain that it can be fatiguing, to entertain, to Tell, to use copious amounts of energy to curate the precise mood of the room you wanted. He was right. Telling was a sport, not a profession. I wonder if I’ll be as exhausted here after lessons as I am after a performance.
“—above the cadet quarters are the professors’ offices and personal living suites on five and six. I think they like to stay close to us cadets so we don’t cause too much trouble,” Ramona adds with a twirl as a calm, genderless voice announces,Level Four - Cadet Quarters.
The doors open up to a long hallway with dark wooden floors and natural stone walls that are painted white. It is almost like they are trying to hide the fact that this whole castle is nestled into the side of a mountain. Glass sconces filled with a flickering warm light illuminate the hall. On closer inspection, it isn’t a flame flickering but a dancing ball of light again.
Fascinating. This must be sun magic!
Ramona pauses us in front of a room filled with fluffy green and blue cushions, mismatched wooden tables and chairs, and small leather sofas grouped together in clusters throughout the space. A black fireplace in the center of the room cracks and pops as real flame licks the wood greedily. On the far side is a kitchen, complete with a sink, ample cooking supplies, and a large serving island.
“Comfortable, isn’t it?” Ramona asks. “It’s a communal space. You can hang out here anytime you want.”
“Wow,” is all I can say. I can’t believe this lavish space is a part of where I’m going to live for the next year. Just days ago, I was in my small basement room at the Rose & Raven.
I swallow down the guilt and shame for leaving and use it for kindling my need for revenge. The reason I’m here. If there are magical defenses I can learn—anything—powerful enough to defend Goldenpine from Underling attacks… I’m going to learn it.
Ramona continues her deep-dive explanation of the castle as we continue down the hallway. I’m desperately trying to retain the information that she’s already said like it’s a new story.Cadet Quarters on three and four… What is on five again?My mind whirls; always perched to memorize is a strength of a Teller.
Professors! Bless my good memory.
“Where was I? Oh yes, above the Professor suites are some more classrooms on floors seven and eight. Level nine is where the Elder Council offices are. Lastly, up on ten, we have my favorite classroom—but I’ll leave that as a surprise!” Ramona teases as we turn a final corner to the right and stop in front of a curved wooden door.
“And this is our room.” Ramona smiles as she presses her thumb once again to a small black stone near the handle. A smooth unlocking sound omits from inside the door and it pops inward.
Leaf was right. Ramona’s room is large. It has the same white stone walls and dark wood floor with ornate rugs layered on top of each other, their black and white patterns clashing almost comically. Two loft beds hug the walls on either side of the room, each with desks underneath.
Ramona’s side of the room is dripping in dark lace, black bedding, and a smattering of small random objects she must collect and keep. Her closet is somehow already overflowing with more dark clothes of the same black, blue, and dark green variety.
“That’s your side,” Ramona points to the other side of the room. A simple beige quilt hangs over the edges of the loft bed. A small desk sits beneath with a lamp, quill, and another few items. The closet is empty besides the few pieces of clothing.
