Chapter 367 (1/2)

Chapter 367

SETH MILVIEW

It was freezing! The winds had turned, bringing icyus a chilly sendoff as we prepared to leave

My breath frosted in front ofaround us I pursedit rise up and vanish

It was such a s capable of this o, a few cold breaths while playing with Circe—the two of us pretending to be dragons billowing fire instead of steaetof thesemy attention back to the scene aroundon the first day of the Victoriad, and ere all lined up outside of the te at the heart of campus A lot of other students, both those ould be coood luck, hung around the courtyard, huddled into groups and wrapped in heavy cloaks I even noticed a feho had dragged their bed blankets out here to stay war to Vechor, too many to use the tempus warp at once, and our class was last in line to be teleported Inside, Professor Abby of the Redcliff blood was in charge of teleporting each class in turn

I looked around and noticed a figure hurrying through the crowd The person was bound up in a furry parka with a hood so deep and padded that it coot in line behind us and adjusted the hood slightly

"Oh, hey Laurel," Mayla said, giving the other girl a cheery wave "Chilly, isn't it?"

Laurel peeked out through the fur lining of the hood and her eyes squinted around in an apologetic s off to the side with the two assistants Her voice was slightly muffled as she said, "S-sorry, Professor I had to find my coat I h-hate the cold…"

"Now that we're all here"—the professor diss you each need to have"

"Oh, presents!" Laurel said, bouncing on the balls of her feet

"Not exactly," Professor Grey answered as he withdrew a bundle of ite and split them with assistant Aphene and assistant Briar

Each student received two items The first was a cloak made of velvet in the azure and black of Central Academy The second was a white half-mask that covered my face from my hairline down to below my nose A pattern of dark blue lines was painted over it, sharp and angular like runes, although more artsy Small horns protruded from the top of each mask

Mayla held hers up to her face It was identical to mine except for the patterns, which werewaves She stuck out her tongue andnoise

"I shouldn't have to rely, her focus on Mayla, "that Sovereign Kiros Vritra will be in attendance at the Victoriad Since this is likely a first for all of us—being in the presence of a Sovereign—you need to understand a few things

"While these items identify us as representatives of Central Academy, the ht of Sovereign Kiros Vritra—which, for us, means at all times Our behavior at the Victoriad represents not only the Acaden himself

"Your victories are not yours, but his You do not do this for your own glory, but for the High Sovereign's Any insult youwithout your n Kiros in the eye, will also reflect on the High Sovereign, and will be punished severely"

The class was quiet as the rest of the attire was handed out Laurel took hers and left us to join Enola at the front of the line

Marcus, as standing just in front of us, was staring down at his own ers traced along the heavy, angular blue lines painted on it

Mayla must have noticed his expression too "What do you think your lanced up at her, his face tightening nervously for just a second before s out into his usual at-the-ready sort of expression "I can't iine the patterns are matched to us personally in any way, can you? After all, they're to lin, not make us stand out as individuals"

"Oh," Mayla said, frowning "I hadn't really thought about it"

Yannick, usually quiet, scooted a little closer to Marcus and leaned toward us "The Vritra care about your utility, that is all It is foolish to think otherwise" He slipped on his ed, wild cuts that looked kind of like claws—and tied it around the back of his head before ain as the class in front of us was brought into the tempus warp chamber, and the crowd broke up as people headed back to their rooms A few people waved in the direction of our class, but I knew no one aving at h The truth was, even though I'd lost a lot, this season at the acadeined, and er physically than I'd ever been, even before I got an emblem The sickness I'd lived with my entire life, which I had always expected to kill one

Never in ined I would be an emblem-bearer Even Circe had hoped only that I wouldn't end up an unad with a sickness likely to kill ood at so as Marcus, as fast as Yannick, or as powerful as Enola, but after training under Professor Grey, I knew I could get in the ring with any of theht But more than that, my classmates all showed me respect, even Valen…maybe not Remy or Portrel asme up anymore

If they even could, I relanced at the professor, who had turned away from us to watch a blue-haired woman approach

I really didn't understand hiht all of us how to be passable fighters I knew he didn't really like us, especially e understateht he must hate me But I had no idea why

Mayla elbowed me sharply in the ribs "Ooh, do you have a crush?"

I flinched and stared at her in confusion "What?"

"You're totally staring at Lady Caera," she teased, and I realized Iat Professor Grey for a while, lost in thought "She is awfully pretty, but she's a little old for you, isn't she?"

I opened , but Professor Grey started speaking and I kept quiet to hear

"You're late"

assistant Professor Caera looked behind her, then back at him, one hand on her chest "Excuse me? Have you already arrived in Vechor, Professor Grey? Because if not, it seems I am perfectly on ti in toward me, "I think she's already taken"

I blushed and turned away, super unco about the stern professor's love life I was saved froain, and ere all invited into the warmth of the tempus warp chamber

Once ere all inside, Professor Abby arranged us in a circle around the device, which was hu off a war their hands out to warm them

A breeze kicked up out of nowhere, and I realized that soled and pointed: Professor Abby's hair was dancing lightly around her as she led Professor Grey by the ar forward to this, aren't you, Grey?" she asked, her bright voice carrying in the s, and there is so et a drink while we're there"

Some of the other students burst out into muffled snickers so that I couldn't hear the professor's answer

Whatever it was, Professor Abby pouted as she an to activate it

I took a deep breath to steady o, I would have co this, but noas ready I was excited even I was going to have fun and do ot knocked out in the first round, it didn't o to the Victoriad

There was a feeling of warmth and the sudden sether in a chaotic roar, and I realized ere standing on aof black iron posts topped with lighting artifacts A dozen identical platforms lined the ay

Before I could take even a second to look around, a man in a blood-red mask that was made to look like soroup "Welcome to Vechor and the city of Victorious Professor Grey of Central Academy and the Melee Enhanceht," Professor Grey answered, not looking at thearound at the streams of students in different styles and colors ofsteadily by

"Pleaseafter the trail of students fro area forty-one, on the south side of the coliseum From there you'll be able to watch the other competitions as well as prepare for your own"

The professor thanked the estured to assistants Briar and Aphene "Don't let anyone wander off"

Reeants I'd read about in stories, the two assistants herded us into two lines and guided us into the river of students and teachers co from the other platfor between Valen and Enola instead

High steps led down frohtly colored tents and canopies Aside from the noise of the students and their teachers, there were also the shouts of dozens of h the chaos, the braying of e haical explosions

Loo walls rose high above us, casting a long shadow over the merchant stalls From where ere, I could see a dozen different entrances, each with a long line of well-dressed Alacryans slowly filtering through At the closest, a large, ar so the over ue

Behind ' is the best you can come up with?"

Enola chuckled at this, her neck craning to see the top of the coliseu like this…it can steal the words fro witty to shoot back at Valen, but it took far too long and the roup heading left while our class followed the right-most stream, which took us doide boulevard between ts of merchant stalls Everyone was ioods and souvenirs on display

The entire thing seemed like a carnival, ell-dressed andeverywhere while a hundred et their attention

We all gasped e passed by a lued beast with a flat head like a boulder and pockets of glowing crystals growing all over its body It reared its aard head at us and let out a grinding bellow, nearly sending Linden toppling over backwards

A e ed fire froside our group for the length of several stalls before assistant Briar shooed hih out of the class

Shortly after that, ere all forced to stop short as a procession of highbloods fro battlerobes and jeweled htfrom his belt did