The three of us made our way through the winding corridors of the academy with Shawn leading the way as he’d actually paid attention during the tour. I blindly followed, too focused on my uniform to care about much else. The fabric was better quality than I’d ever put my hands on and it made my skin crawl. It felt wrong.

The massive mess hall struck all of us. From one end to the other it was about the length of the street I grew up on in the slums. The walls were thick grey stone and taller than most buildings I had seen in my lifetime. The ceiling arched above us in dark wood, each beam carved in detail with symbols and shapes that I had never seen before.

The strangest part of it all came from the sea of girls that feathered out across the polished stone floor. They were seated at long tables, chatting and laughing with each other until they took notice of the four of us. A wave of turning heads washed over the room and we were suddenly on display, the main event of the dinner.

Only Victor moved without a care. He gave them all a quick glance before going to the empty table to the right of all the others. There were other tables around the center grouping, each filled with a mage and his coven. To see so many girls around one guy looked strange, but many did not act as I expected them to when being part of a coven.

Some showed outright contempt for either the girls around them or the mage at the center. A few of them even let their eyes wander over to us with considering and hopeful gazes. None of them moved however and only watched as we headed to the table that Victor already sat at.

As we sat down before the already plated table, Lorelei sauntered over and stood beside Jorge. She placed a hand to his shoulder and he froze like a kid who had just been caught in the act.

“Nice entrance,” she said as her gaze traveled the mess hall. “I think every girl here got the chance to appraise you.”

“That wasn’t our intent,” Shawn said as he reached for a plate full of sandwiches. I went for the plate of sliced chicken while trying my best to keep my shoulders from rising up. In the slums the best philosophy was to stay out of sight, especially when I played thief a few too many times. Having so many people staring at me made me feel exposed.

“Ah, new blood mages are so cute,” Lorelei said and took an empty seat across from me. “You’re all acting like children. These girls will eat you alive if you don’t sharpen up.” She faced me. “Especially you.”

I looked up with a piece of chicken halfway to my mouth and cocked an eyebrow at her.

“He does seem a bit childish,” Victor said as he lounged back in his chair while loosely holding a cup of cider. He kept his gaze toward the girls, meeting their looks head on, but I could tell that he worked on a feigned confidence by the way he kept adjusting his fingers on the cup. “But what can you expect from someone from the slums? I’m sure he’s trying his best.”

As insults went, it barely registered. I’d dealt with my fair share of people looking down on me and had long ago come to terms with it. I had survived things that those in the upper tiers would have given up at. But not all those from the slums had come to the same terms. I saw Jorge bristle, the fork in his hand bending a bit from his grip. Jorge had started fights over less.

I snorted a laugh to try to defuse things. “Ah, he’s right. I’m just no good with women. I’m sure Victor here has lots of experience to share. After all, they hang around him like he’s one of them.”

The other two snorted into their drinks and Victor glared at me. “What the hell do you mean by that?”

“I think he was making reference to how there were girls all around you this morning and yet none of them came running to bond with you,” Lorelei said. Victor turn his indigent stare to her. She smiled.

“You think I’ll have trouble finding a girl that will want to bond with me? I could have you if you interested me enough.” Victor sneered as his face reddened in anger.

Lorelei reached across to my plate and took a piece of chicken. She popped it into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “No, I’ve had my fill of Randsons. Thanks for the offer, though.”

Victor stood, his chair banging into the table. The noise drew the attention of those around us and we all watched him stalk out of the mes shall. Lorelei watched him go with little interest.

“He’s gonna be fun to torment,” she said after a moment and stole another piece of chicken. “Too bad he’s gonna turn that insecurity into trouble.” She sat back in her chair and her silver eyes skipped over the room. “These girls are spoiled. My third year there were only twenty total mages. Can you feel their annoyance that I’m over here? If glares could kill I’d be dead a thousand times over.”

“Why are you sitting here?” I asked. All the other staff were at the front of the mes shall, eating together at one long table. She was the only one among the students.

“Maybe I like the company,” she said and the corners of her lips quirked upward. When none of us said anything she sighed. “Like I said, you four are fresh meat and I want you to get settled before the hyenas descend. So, enjoy the meal and then we’ll head back toward the common areas and you can mingle under my supervision. Remember, you’re looking for witches to bond with even now. Don’t be afraid to ask a girl if you’re interested, but you need my approval before you bond. Got it?”

“Who are you bonded with?” Shawn asked, his voice steady but his eyes dropped when she looked over.

“Aw, don’t tell me you boys are falling for an old hag like me,” she said and grinned ear to ear. “Because I don’t know if I could resist any of the three of you if you made an offer.”

“I noticed you didn’t answer the question,” I said while picking at the left over potatoes on my plate.

“No, I didn’t. Tell you what, if you all find a girl to bond with by the end of the week I’ll answer if I’m bonded with anyone. Deal?”

I looked to the other two and they nodded along. I figured it wouldn’t be too hard with how Lorelei talked. After all, the girls were looking for mages and while there were better looking guys, there wasn’t anything wrong with me. A little scrawny maybe.

“Great, because if you don’t I’ll have to take drastic measures as it’ll reflect poorly on me if my little magelings are still not bonded by then. Don’t make me take drastic measures, boys.” She reached for another plate and began to pile food on her plate. She never stopped watching those around us, just waiting for a girl to take a chance. None did.