Page 22 of Trivium

“This room will be your home base for everything you learn at the Academy. Look around. Study each other. Because those here will be your core squad when you go beyond the wall, throughout your assessments and otherwise. You’ll need to learn and trust each other more than anyone else at the Academy.”

Loveleena looked around in search of some kind of social escape. Most of her peers looked proud, anxious but confident. A few looked as uncertain as she felt. She hadn’t really had time to process what, exactly, she had agreed to by coming to this school. And after the headmaster’s speech, the reality of it was starting to sink in. She hadn’t entirely thought this through.

“Each Trivium is supported by some of our best graduates and students in higher years. Your first lead is second-year, Rhett Lennox.” Professor Barrow gestured to the man who had brought them here, who responded to the introduction by throwing up a hand in a casual wave.

“This year, we’ve also added graduate leads for extra training and protection. They have agreed to additional duties, over and above defending the city, so make sure you thank them. The first is Ren Elmerian.” He looked to the back of the room, where Ren stood tall, feet a little wider than his shoulders, arms crossed. He nodded slightly.

“Legs for days, that one,” Rory whispered, a girl with deep auburn hair and an entire constellation of freckles splattered across her face. Loveleena looked back at Ren, this time focusing on his legs. He did have long legs. While Lennox was slim and athletic, Ren was broader in the shoulders and thighs. Despite their different physiques, and demeanors for that matter, they both embodied an unmistakable air of arrogance. Classic Slayers.

“Your second graduate lead is Serena⁠—”

As if on cue, a tall woman with golden blonde hair and sparkly eyes strode into the room, dirt smudged on her face and up her arms. Her silky ponytail bobbed behind her.

“Apologies, Professor.” She smiled, and Loveleena felt the whole room warm. “Easy to lose track of time with a pack of Slyfoxes following you.”

“Hi everyone,” she said, making eye contact with each of them. “Nice to meet you. You won’t see as much of me as you will the boys.” She smiled vivaciously at Lennox and Ren. “But I’ll be around.”

“You have a couple hours until the Gala begins,” Professor Barrow continued. “You will be split into three groups and one of your leads—Lennox, Ren, or Serena—will show you the grounds. Your sleeping arrangements and timetables are on the back table, so please collect them on your way out.”

“Tomorrow morning at dawn, you’ll meet here. Save your questions for then. Tonight is about celebrating and getting to know your Trivium squad. Enjoy yourselves tonight but don’t be late tomorrow.”

Loveleena tried to get into Ren’s tour group, but Professor Barrow had sectioned them off so quickly she didn’t have a chance. And when she asked to switch, he gave her a firm denial and left the room.

She would have taken Serena over Lennox, just to avoid being in a group with Kumani, but here she was, trailing behind Lennox, Kumani, Ahmina, Rory, Artie, Emerson, and two girls who spent the tour whispering and giggling about Lennox. Loveleena didn’t even bother introducing herself to them. No point in getting to know girls who lost their shit over some Slayer with bad hair and a barely passing bad boy heartthrob aesthetic.

“Bloody hell of the Goddess,” Emerson said beside her, rolling his eyes. “How did I get stuck in a group with a bunch of blushing schoolgirls.” His olive skin, well-groomed auburn hair, and nicely defined arms were striking in the afternoon sun. He wasn’t that much taller than her, but it somehow still felt like he towered over her curvy frame.

Loveleena’s lips curled at the sides. “Don’t get too close or you might be next.”

“Throw me to the Hydra, then,” he grumbled.

“You don’t want all the girls after you, Emerson?” she teased.

He looked behind him and frowned before turning back. “No.”

Loveleena glanced over her shoulder. “Ohhhh okaayyy.” She chuckled. “Who broke your heart?”

He ignored her as he stomped forward. She had to speed walk just to keep pace with him as they ventured up the pathway toward the dorms.

“As you can see…” Lennox pointed to each part of the school like it was the most boring thing in the world. “The main castle is where Trivium, the Great Hall, library, kitchens, mess hall, and professor living quarters are. Strategy is in the Skyward Amphitheatre, across the courtyard over there,” he said, gesturing to a circular building that was probably the newest building on campus.

“The Moonlight Apothecary is behind us just up the road into the village. And yes,” he said, as if reading their minds, “it is falling apart at the seams so be gentle with the doors.”

“You think you’ll even make it in there?” Loveleena whispered to Emerson, noticing how small the entryway was. Even from this distance, you could tell it was abnormally short and decrepit. “Might cut you off at the hips.”

Emerson laughed and shook his head. “It’s not just the creatures I have to worry about; it’s the damn doors.”

“Also,” Lennox added, as he led them up past the greenhouse to the dorms. “The classrooms were named by the original Defenders. Don’t poke fun at it around the professors or you’ll be paying for it all year.”

The Slayer building was built with plain sandstone, featuring two towers stretching tall on each side like bookends. Cradled beside it was the Alchemist building, which was similar in shape and size except vines and flowers spread up from its foundation. The Clever building was as simple as the Slayer building but unique in that it held a small library. Finally, they reached the first-year dorms, the largest and simplest of them all except for the connecting pathway to the main castle made of beautifully crafted glass that the Alchemists had decorated with hanging flowers. Inside, the dorm was simple, but there was a large common room and the bathrooms had been redone. It wasn’t nearly as bad as Loveleena thought it would be.

“Fancy,” Loveleena noted, though her life had been filled with far more luxurious accommodations. She wanted to blend in—didn’t want everyone to think she was a snob because she was a noble daughter. “Why do we get the nice building?”

“You’re the biggest group and it’s the biggest building.” Lennox shrugged. “Don’t get used to it because next year, once you’re given a specialty, you’ll be somewhere else.”

“Where do the graduates live?” Rory asked.

“Defender Village, and a few outposts within Jarrah; the exact locations are confidential of course.”