She had been expecting a hallway and was surprised to find a bright airy courtyard encircled by doors – presumably to other student rooms – and what she could only describe as a well of light in the center. A bright beam of blue-white light shot out of it toward the ceiling.

 

She opened the door wider and slipped out, then closed the door behind her. No one else was around, for which she was grateful. She stepped to the well and looked into it.

 

It wasn’t a well after all. Or perhaps it was, but if so, the well part was far below. There were many more floors before that. The student dorms appeared to be made of massive concentric rings, like wheels on their sides, with the beam of light acting as the axle. She looked up and saw more floors above, with the light continuing on to a point she could not see. She itched to know more, but her collar kept her from getting any sense of the kind of magic used.

 

Thought of the collar reminded her of her situation. She didn’t have time to gawk at pillars of light, no matter how impressive. She turned away and started walking, looking for a way down. She found it in a staircase past the third door.

 

Six flights of stairs later, she took a deep breath as she reached the ground floor, grateful she hadn’t quickened the journey by falling, as had nearly happened a few times thanks to the oversized shoes. To her right was the courtyard. To her left, a door. She turned toward it and pushed it open.

 

Sunlight dazzled her eyes and she was forced to stop and blink. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been outdoors. At that moment, the crystal blue sky and its bright orb were more wonderous and beautiful than anything the College had to offer.

 

Something jostled her, knocking her out of her reverie as she stumbled forward.

 

“Sorry!” A student bustled past without glancing back, scurrying across a paved courtyard toward a door set in the wall of a massive edifice. That edifice, Aithne’s slow-to-recover brain decided, must be the college proper. She shook herself, angry that she had once again stopped moving. She didn’t have time for this! She looked around, trying to get her bearings.

 

The College appeared to be encircled by a massive wall. Other structures – such as the dormitories she was doing such a poor job getting away from – were set against the wall. Where there was a wall, she reasoned, there must be a gate. And the most likely place for a gate was just opposite the main doors to the building being protected. With that logic in mind, she turned to her right and began walking.

 

It was easier than expected to find the gate – the wall of the dormitories ended and the gateway was there. The gate was open and a stone bridge cascaded away toward what looked like a small town on the far side of a chasm of some sort. Only a few steps away.

 

Aithne hurried toward it as quickly as her oversized robes let her. Just as she was about to step past the threshold of the gate and onto the bridge, however, a voice spoke from her left side.

 

“Hey, not so fast. I need to see your day pass.”

 

She froze mid-step, mind wheeling. Should she run? Should she try to bluff? The former would let the speaker know something was amiss in an instant, but the latter…

 

She really didn’t have a choice, she realized. Not with the collar on. Any attempt at running would be forestalled in an instant by any number of simple spells like Tether or Nadod’s Paralysis. She took a deep breath, gripped the knife with a sweaty palm, and turned toward the speaker, trying to keep the hood of the robe low.

 

“What?” It was the only thing her panicked mind could think to say.

 

“Your pass?” The student raised an eyebrow.

 

She recognized him, then – she had seen him in the library, even helped him with his school work a few times. She dipped her head lower, cursing silently. She had probably been seen by every student in the school at one point or another. And probably most of the staff as well.

 

“Um…I don’t have one. Mister…um…Urag told me to get him…something. From town.” She gestured weakly toward the town. Inside, she screamed at herself. She shouldn’t have used Urag’s name – the last thing she wanted was for the student to sense any connection between her and the library. Too late now!

 

“Did he, then?” The student didn’t sound concerned, which was a relief. He mostly sounded amused. “D’you think I’m a first year or something? I’ve heard a lot of excuses for kids trying to sneak to town, but that might be the worst one yet. Get to class.”

 

He reached out and Aithne flinched back. His expression darkened and his eyes narrowed.

 

“Wait a minute.”

 

He snatched at her hood and she tried to evade but tripped over the hem of the oversized robe and fell. She cried out as she landed on her ass; the impact jostled the knife free and it skittered across the stone bridge. She cried out again as it slid to the edge and tipped away into the chasm. She didn’t notice the hood to the robe had fallen back until she heard the student’s voice again.

 

“Oh, it’s you! He’s been looking all over for you!”

 

Aithne blinked up at him as panic spilled from her like water from an overflowing well. She scrambled back and pushed herself against the wall as he reached for her.

 

He was looking for her? Already?! She had been certain she had hit Merks hard enough to keep him out for longer than that! She cursed herself in every language she knew and a few she made up on the spot for wasting so much time staring at lightwells and suns. Merks had not only woken up but had spread the word about her all over the College!

 

She screamed as his hand gripped her arm and he frowned. “Calm down. I’m bringing you to him right now.”

 

That, of course, only elicited stronger screams but the student just shook his head and, an instant later, the world changed.

 

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