BLACKWOOD ACADEMY'S FORBIDDEN LUNA

a Thor

d of pine and wet dirt. I stepped onto the gravel.

inding mountain road. Gray slush sprayed up behind it. Then it was gone. I felt alo

o slow my heart. The air here smelled different. In the low-tier outer territories, where I had

p, and the

ood Ac

k up the weak light. Iron spires stuck up into the mist. Stone wolves with bared teeth sat on top of them. Hea

eautiful in its own wa

paper. It had come three weeks ago. The wax seal was broken, but the raised i

, no title, and no family name to boast about. We were not supposed to sit in class with the heirs o

led. I worked night shifts at border checkpoints. I did it all for a few silver coins, enough for a bowl of thin broth and a dry bed. Every scar on my

rong ruled. The weak served. Unback

Blackwood s

e roared out

came fast up the mountain road. Its tires

f icy slush hit my legs. It soaked my boots

inches. A girl with sleek platinum hair looked out. Her ice-gray eyes ran

rom inside the car. "The academy is letting

. The engine purred. The heavy gates groaned open, just wide e

at my teeth hurt. My fists were tight inside my po

You can't get thrown out before you even go in. You need this d

ck leaf. I fixed the strap of my old duffel b

ron keys hung from his belt and clinked with each step. His face was hard and rough, with a scar across

is voice sounded lik

I kept my voice flat and

e just stared. His eyes went down to my muddy boots, my

pat. He did not try to hide ho

rs. Briggs snatched it. He opened it quickly and looked closely at

f the name tasted bad. "Unbacked. N

amber eyes met min

bars. His breath smelled of stale tobacco and bitter ale. "But here's some free advice. This isn't a charity house. Bla

I said quietly. I looked straig

sted three weeks. Then they carried him out on a wooden stretcher with a broken spine. Scholarship orphans do

d shoved it open, just wide enough for me to squeeze

he grunted, and turned his back on me. "And don't track mu

pocket. Then I walked through the gate

met overhead and blocked most of the weak daylight. The air inside the walls felt he

steps of the Grand Hall. A group of well-dressed, high-born students stood on the steps.

ser, the lau

ts, my worn bag, and my pale, scarred face. Then I felt their commanding aura. It pressed on my ches

ng. It squeezed my lung

I held my head high and stared back with co

arp that even the high-born students stopped talking.

he stairs opened wider. A man

and he stood stiff against the warm light behind him. His hair was dark s

ance was so strong that the air around

not look at the great hall. His steel-blue eyes moved slowly

I stumbled back half a step on the wet cobblestones. It was more than his authori

ightened. He looked down at the

Then the look was gone. His face went f

toward me. His hand rested on the ha

in. It had never done that before. It hummed like a heated