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For the first time since we’d arrived, a new kind of fear trickled down my spine So to stay here for a long time, Xero would be able to show us the ropes But if we had been deposited somewhere that was unfamiliar to even him, what chance did we have?
“They should have a cartography class,” Kingston said “If we’re going to be living here, we should at least knohere here is”
I craned ed landscape and uneven terrain, at the blackened stone teeth and bubbling rivers of lava I inhaled deeply, tasting the atmosphere, which had permeated Xero so deeply that I could hardly pinpoint him except by his mark
“I don’t think we’re in asevil as they say we are,” I h my nose
“Why?” Hannah glanced up at me
I nodded at Xero “Because he isn’t heartless He’s saturated with underworld vibes, but he’s the sweetest person I know”
“Hey!” Jayce gave me a hurt puppy look
“One of the sweetest people I know,” I a ahead of the to be okay And you never know After a while, this place ht actually start to feel normal”
I didn’t really believe ht
As we settled into our daily routine over the nextin the underworld wore off completely The sun rose and set whenever the hell it wanted to, so we lived by the clock Certain foods and beverages were hard to come by, so we adjusted to e had I, of all people, developed a taste for spiced black tea It did the job al used to
But getting used to the routine didn’t help otten secret hallways after class just to occupyaround the school, I’d found theet to anyway Every sub-baseically sealed with heavy protective wards, which was a ue with
I had also started deliberately practicinginto the atiant wall, I spent entirely toolost, unable to reach them with my sense like I was accustomed to Detero to a private, distant corner of the school and search for theood at it, but once I conquered that challenge, boredoain
“Ugh What I wouldn’t do for a pint at the pub right now,” I groaned one Friday afternoon
“Yeah, I could definitely go for sorin
He, Kingston, Xero, and I were all hanging out in our secret alcove above the library I’d pinged Kai—he was nearish, probably in the library downstairs—but he was still avoiding us like we all carried a deadly disease