Page 19 of Bone Year

We reach the top of a wide staircase carved directly into the stone wall. As we descend, Lux rests her hand briefly on the banister, fingers trailing along the surface.

“Anyway,” she says, “the reason I brought all of that up is because Ashwell has core-driven current.”

I stop again.

“The school?”

She nods. “Not enchanted or layered with spells. The heart of Ashwell is a living core. It repairs itself, regulates temperature, maintains wards, moves structures and adjusts lighting, sometimes even redirects hallways.”

It sounds unfathomable.

“And the headmaster controls all that?”

Lux shakes her head. “No, Ashwell does. The school selects its students, not the headmaster or the professors.”

Now I’m painfully aware of every wall we pass, every arch, every shadowed corner, like something is looking back at me as we pass.

“When you say it like that,” I murmur, “it’s a little creepy.”

Lux lets out a quiet laugh. “Most people cope by not thinking about it.”

“That’s worse.”

Her smile tilts. “You’ll fit right in.”

We reach a massive set of double doors as they begin to swing inward on silent hinges.

“One more thing,” I say, “is Ashwell the only place that has core-driven current?”

She sucks her teeth. “The only place, but not the only beings.”

I glance at her.

“Blood mages,” she adds under her breath, “are the only other known source.”

My mouth goes dry. “That’s why they’re such a big deal?”

“That’s why they’re terrifying and nearly extinct.”

The doors finish opening.

Warmth, candlelight, and low murmurs spill out as the Grand Hall unfolds in front of us.

The ceiling disappears into shadow, supported by massive timber beams darkened with age. Circular tables ring the perimeter of the room, arranged in deliberate arcs, leaving the center open. A long strip of dark-red carpet runs through the middle, leading toward a low stage at the far end.

Behind it rise three towering arched windows, stretching from floor to ceiling, each one revealing a sweeping view of Frostlands beyond.

Above each window, a symbol is carved into the stone and faintly illuminated.

A wolf framed by a ribcage, glowing amethyst.

A heart bound by a serpent, glowing crimson.

A bat with wings spread wide above a pair of lungs, glowing pale blue.

Those symbols really are all over this school.

Lux leans closer, her voice dropping. “This is where people find out whether they’re built for this…or whether Ashwell made a mistake.”