Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Elara:

I hadn’t even thought of what to ask next when Kairo leaned back in his chair and asked, "Have you attended any Beast Studies classes yet?"

The question caught me off guard, mostly because the answer was embarrassingly simple.

I let out a soft sigh and shook my head before explaining, "No. The professors decided I’m not ready for it yet." I ran my fingers across the edge of the open book in front of me, my eyes briefly dropping to the pages as I added, "Apparently, barely having enough magic to cast one or two spells makes me unqualified to try taming magical beasts."

There was a hint of bitterness in my voice that I couldn’t quite hide, although I didn’t exactly disagree with the professors’ decision. "Beast Studies requires a considerable amount of magical power, so I’m skipping it until next semester. Professor Fenrith said it would be pointless to throw me into a class where everyone else could handle magical creatures while I might not even be able to summon a proper containment spell."

I glanced toward Kairo, finding him watching me with an expression I couldn’t completely read. "The fact that I don’t have a familiar was another reason they decided to spare me from the class."

At least, that was what everyone thought. I had never told a single professor about Crazy. For some reason, I simply couldn’t bring myself to reveal his existence when I had first arrived at Moonveil Academy. Perhaps it was because he had been with me since back in Florida and the people here didn’t want me to stay connected with anything related to my human life.

Violet, Myra, and Mrs. Carter were the only people in the entire academy who had seen Crazy in my dorm so far, and even they believed I had found him wandering around one of the towns during my first day in this world just like I told them. None of them knew that he’s actually a familiar, though Violet seemed to have suspected something.

I finally looked back at Kairo and asked, "Why are you suddenly asking about Beast Studies, anyway? Does it have something to do with familiars?"

The moment his lips curved upward, I knew I had guessed correctly.

He leaned one elbow against the table and explained, "Familiars are compulsory companions during Beast Studies. That’s where you would actually get to see most of the students’ familiars."

I frowned. "But I haven’t seen a single one around the academy."

Kairo gave me a look that suggested I had once again managed to demonstrate an astonishing lack of knowledge about the world I had apparently been born into, and then explained, "Students aren’t allowed to bring their familiars around the academy freely. Beast Studies is the exception." He tapped one finger lightly against the table as he continued, "The bond between a supernatural and their familiar is considered sacred. Most people don’t enjoy exposing their companions to crowds or curious strangers, and the academy has rules against it anyway. There are too many different creatures here, and some don’t exactly coexist peacefully."

That actually made sense. I thought back to the enormous black creature I had seen on the night of the attack. Even through the fog of pain and fading consciousness, I remembered how huge it had seemed. And those glowing blue eyes... I shivered without meaning to.

Maybe Kairo was right. Maybe what I had seen wasn’t some wild beast wandering near the academy at all. Maybe it had been someone’s familiar. If so, then I completely understood why the students were required to keep them away from everyone else. I certainly wouldn’t want poor Crazy accidentally crossing paths with something the size of whatever had appeared that night.

I made a mental note to have a very serious conversation with ’His Highness’ about the existence of much bigger and probably much hungrier familiars around the academy, especially considering his nightly habit of sneaking out to steal food from the kitchens. The last thing I needed was to wake up one morning and find that my annoying cat had attempted to fight someone’s magical beast over a stolen chicken sandwich.

The thought stayed with me long after I left the library that night, but by the following afternoon, I had far more complicated matters to think about. Namely, whether I was actually going to attend my special session with Lorien.

I spent nearly the entire day going back and forth in my mind, finding new excuses every few minutes for why I shouldn’t go before immediately finding an equally logical reason why I should.

I didn’t want to see him. I certainly didn’t want to sit alone with him in his office after what had happened at the Argentis mansion. Just remembering that kiss was enough to make my stomach twist with anger and confusion, and the way he had run away afterward still felt like an insult I couldn’t properly put into words. But allowing my emotions to control something as important as my magic would only hurt me.

According to Professor Elowen, one of the many reasons the cracks in my seal had been loosening more easily whenever my emotions spiraled out of control was because Lorien’s magic had already done most of the groundwork. Skipping these sessions wouldn’t punish him. It would only slow down my own progress. And right now, I needed every advantage I could get.

So, with a long internal lecture about maturity, responsibility, and temporarily shoving my self-respect somewhere deep enough that it wouldn’t interrupt me, I left my dorm as the clock neared six in the evening.

By the time I reached the Headmaster’s office, I had already made myself a promise. From now on, these sessions would remain strictly professional. I would sit there, let him do whatever complicated magical work was necessary to loosen my seal, say thank you if required, and leave. No unnecessary conversations. No emotional arguments. No trusting him simply because he sometimes looked at me like I mattered. And absolutely no repeat of whatever had happened at the mansion.

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