Nia was still sleeping when Saahira woke at first light. It was strange; all her life, she’d greeted the morning with one of the roosters on Barclay’s farm. Any one of them would cry out with the sunrise as if his life depended on it, and they did an excellent job of waking the entire village.

  But now, the rest of the world held its breath as the sun peeked over the horizon. Outside their window, the grounds were entirely empty. The only sound in the room was Nia’s light snoring from atop her mountain of feathery pillows.

  Saahira had fallen asleep before Nia returned. Kaylee’s comment still stung in the early hours, and Saahira did her best to brush it away. She liked Nia. She didn’t want her to hate sharing their room or the air they breathed.

  Then you should have stayed at the Final Bar.

  At the thought of her abandoned dinner, Saahira’s stomach growled. Oh. Right. The realization that she hadn’t eaten very much since lunch the day prior made the hunger pangs worse.

  She quietly changed into her clothes for the day—a long-sleeve, cotton chemise that she cinched high on her waist with a thick leather belt. The dress looked as if it belonged beneath layers of other fabric, if her female peers were anything to judge by, and a row of tiny stitches on the right forearm betrayed where she’d caught it on the edge of a table one night at work. But it was comfortable, clean, and only the lower half showed from beneath her cloak, which she wrapped around her shoulders. Finally, she slid on her simple leather shoes and fastened the straps over the top of her feet.

  Not wanting to return to the dormitory before classes began, she picked out her books on hexlation, fate and arcana, and necromancy from the chest at the foot of her bed, as well as her brilight paper, ink, quill, and the new satchel to store them all inside. There was still room to spare once it was all tucked comfortably together. There’d be no books tumbling out of her arms on the second day of classes, at least, thanks to Cyprus.

  She combed through her hair with a metal brush her father had crafted before she’d left. Her mother had insisted on it, and holding it brought back the smoky scent of the forge and the warmth of the flames on her cheeks.

  Once she was satisfied, she tiptoed out of her room, careful not to disturb Nia, and walked softly toward the staircase. Without the idle chattering of her dormmates, the paintings and tapestries took on a more sinister appearance, every eye seeming to take her measure.

  -The Wall here is deliciously thin.-

  The choir’s announcement was so sudden and so loud that Saahira found herself catching her balance on the stairs’ railing. They’d been so quiet the evening before that she’d nearly forgotten about them.

  -We feel your heart beating, Saahira.- The breathy articulations nuzzled against her chest and throat. Her pulse raced, and her grip around the banister tightened. -We can smell your anticipation. Nearly taste your desire…-

  What happened to patience?

  -We’ve never been so close.-

  I… Saahira licked her lips and fought to breathe. They were toying with her thoughts again, but this time it was impossible to push them away. A vivid image of her dress stripped away by a dozen hands led to one of her body lying prone, explored by countless tongues and fingers. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck, and her whole being trembled beneath tiny whispers of the phantoms brought into reality.

  -Let us in, Saahira.-

  Gods, why could she feel them creeping beneath her gown? I can’t summon you.

  -Lillith can assist you.-

  No. I don’t understand you. Or me. Or— she gasped as the pressure of fingertips caressed her inner thighs. The nearby painting of an incubus seemed to smile down at her. I can’t!

  -We need to taste you.-

  A bright wave of tinkling chimes sliced through the choir’s voices and pictures. The other girls in the dorm began to stir behind their doors, and Saahira took the opportunity to catch her breath. She did her best to ignore the sensitivity of her skin and the building heat between her thighs as she clambered down the staircase and raced to the door.

  I will not summon you. Another shiver ran down her back, and she swallowed against her parched throat. Not yet.

  For the second time in two days, the choir laughed. Saahira hugged her cloak tight around her shoulders and let the cool morning air caress her face as she rushed over the resident grounds to the cobblestone streets of Odalric. The choir quieted at last, and as soon as she caught the whiff of sweet pastries, her heart and feet slowed.

  Saahira paused beneath the awning of an alchemy shop to close her eyes and catch her breath. They weren’t forcing her hand again. Not yet, at least. The Wall is thin? What does that mean? She had so many questions, and their number grew by the day. I need to see Lillith. She blinked and slowly exhaled. It was unlikely that the succubus was in her classroom just yet, and hunger prodded her stomach and head. …After breakfast. With a resolute nod to no one in particular, she started off once more toward the sanctum.

  It seemed that just a handful of shops were open this early in the morning. The bakery on the corner was one of them, and their morning selections were entirely different from the ones she’d spied the day before. Red and blue jams were nestled in the center of glazed breads. Muffins with hints of fruit, chocolate, and nuts flanked either side of the pastries, and the sight made Saahira’s mouth water.

  Truly the most dangerous store in Odalric, she thought dryly.

  Two more fresh food stands had merchants waiting patiently behind them among the lines of stalls on either side of the road toward the bridge. One featured fruits and vegetables, the other fish. Saahira wondered how the girls in the dorm would react if she purchased ingredients for a meal and built a cookfire on the resident grounds to make it herself. Very few of them appeared to have ever cooked their own food, and open fires were likely prohibited, but imagining their incredulous faces did lighten the morning a little.

  Saahira crossed the bridge into the Sanctum of the Nine Arts and was glad to see how few students wandered the grounds. The lack of curious and disdainful stares was a welcome change on her way to the dining hall. And even then, once she’d made it inside, there weren’t enough people to fill a single table just yet.

  The same place she’d shared with Cyprus was available, and seating herself there put her away from the rest of the students.

  “Sun’s greetings to you, miss.” A dark-haired man wearing the same polished uniform as his peers, who moved about the room, appeared beside her. His A?álian accent warmed his words alongside his smile. His demeanor was entirely different from the woman who had served her the day before.

  “Oh! Good morning!” His sudden appearance was startling, but Saahira settled in and returned his smile. “Sorry, I’m still getting used to translocation.”

  “It is no problem at all. Would you prefer a hot meal or a cold meal?”

  There are options? Breakfast at home was typically composed of two hunks of bread, two slices of cheese, and the occasional fresh fruit from Hugo’s orchard, depending on how the harvest went. During the colder months, Mother would make a special porridge with honey that Saahira and Isa loved best. “Um, hot? Please?”

  “Right away.” He vanished and reappeared faster than Saahira could blink, holding a covered plate in one hand and a teapot in the other. He set the plate in front of Saahira, then poured the tea into an awaiting cup. The covering was removed very last to reveal steaming portions of eggs, bacon, and slices of brown bread covered in butter and jam.

  Saahira’s mouth started to water as soon as the scents hit her.

  “Should I prepare your tea?” He gestured to the glass of milk and bowl of sugar at the center of the table.

  “N-no! I can do that. Thank you.”

  “Very good. May your studies today be valuable.”

  Saahira nodded, and her fingers clenched around her fork like a woman starved. Students ate like this every day? Three meals a day? She wished she could send a few home to her family. Or bring them here to enjoy beside her.

  With a trembling hand, she poked the fork into a section of the eggs and brought it to her mouth. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had eggs. Even The Laughing Bull rarely served them as a meal on their own. There weren’t enough chickens in Almaryn to sustain the whole village.

  She closed her eyes and hummed. They were light and fluffy and perfect. She wanted to savor every bite, but didn’t want them to go cold. At least I can have this again tomorrow.

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  Each portion tasted fresh. Like the bread was baked and butter churned that very morning. The jam was a fruit she didn’t recognize, but she enjoyed the tart bite at its end. She wondered if the sanctum kept its own pig pen outside to supply such incredible bacon. Though with funding from so many noble families, it was likely that they could bring in whatever they wished whenever they desired.

  Saahira sipped her tea and was once again haunted by guilt. He’d poured the same ifuru leaf tea she’d shared with Nia at the Final Bar. A tiny, irrational part of her wondered if he’d known and served it on purpose.

  That’s impossible.

  Regardless, the voice of reason that fought it insisted she owed Nia an apology. Even if Kaylee’s comments led Nia to realize she wasn’t very lucky at all to room with someone like Saahira.

  But that could come later. Once Saahira had finished her meal, reflections of the chilling pictures from the choir replaced its warmth. More students began to fill the dining hall, and the sun hung a few inches above the horizon. Assuming that professors preferred to begin their days early, Lillith should be in her classroom. Saahira gathered her satchel and left her empty plate behind.

  Moving at a slower pace on the second day, let Saahira take in more of the grounds as she made her way to Lillith’s classroom. The flowers that bloomed in the many gardens were beautiful, but unfamiliar—she wondered if they were alchemical in nature. Stone statues of creatures stood, perched, and roared on plinths between the planters. Some with wings, some multiple heads, one with six arms and a gaping maw in its stomach. Whether they were demon or natural to Faylon, Saahira could not say.

  Lillith’s classroom was the only one that she’d needed to descend a spiral staircase to find, tucked away inside its lone, dark alcove. The torches were lit, and the lavender and patchouli scents drifted from the half-open door. That was a good sign.

  The obsidian tables were empty, but Lillith sat at her desk, leaning over a stack of open books and parchment covered in neat lettering. Her wings rested at her sides, and her tail swayed just behind her back. Saahira was two steps inside when Lillith’s attention snapped to Saahira’s face.

  “Ah, Saahira. Good morning.” Lillith smiled and rested the quill in her hand on the desk. “Though your next session with me is tomorrow, is it not?”

  “It is.” Saahira forced her feet to walk to stand beside Lillith’s desk. The air of attraction and desire flowed from the succubus in powerful waves, chipping away at the wall Saahira had built around the imaginings of the choir. “I… I’d like to speak with you. If you’re free.”

  “Of course, sweet girl.” Lillith stretched her arms above her head, and the arch of her bare back screamed for attention.

  Saahira licked her lips. “It’s about the choir.”

  Lillith’s smile widened and her gaze warmed. Saahira’s chest tightened, and she rested a hand on Lillith’s desk while she caught her breath.

  -She yearns to see us.-

  Not again. That doesn’t matter.

  Lillith regained her composure and touched Saahira’s hand. “Forgive me. I simply cannot recall the last mortal with such a talent. You heeded my word, yes? You have not attempted to summon them?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Good girl.” A glimmer of regret crossed her gaze, and Saahira shivered.

  -Tell her to help you. She will abide.-

  “Lillith,” Saahira continued, ignoring the choir. “The reason I’m here at the sanctum is because I woke up in a summoning circle of my own making, with my own blood.” She pulled her hand away from Lillith’s and searched the room for anything but the succubus’s eyes. “I don’t remember creating it at all. And I’m afraid it’s going to happen again.”

  “Hm.” Lillith stood and moved to her chalkboard, her black dress trailing behind her. She studied its dark, blank surface as if there were words written there. “Each demon class, from the silent Aeria to the world-destroying Leliouria, cannot force a mortal’s hand. Now, that is not to say we don’t use the power of suggestion to our every advantage.” She looked at Saahira. “You have followed their suggestions before, so you understand the weight they hold.”

  Saahira blushed furiously and bit her tongue.

  “It is nothing to be ashamed of, sweet girl.” Lillith touched Saahira’s chin and tipped her head upward until she locked her gaze. “There are many who cannot resist the call of one demon, let alone six.”

  “I-I…” Saahira struggled to sort her thoughts into intelligible words. “So, I drew that circle myself?”

  “Yes.” Lillith stroked Saahira’s cheek. It was hard to breathe; impossible to think. Why did Lillith look so excited? “Were you perhaps…inebriated that evening?”

  -Tell her, Saahira!- the choir roared. -Let us in!-

  Stop! Please, stop! Saahira fell to her knees and cupped her hands over her ears. A high-pitched ringing masked Lillith’s calls and numbed the sensation of fingers stroking her hair.

  “—ira. Saahira,” Lillith said. She was suddenly crouched down, head level with Saahira’s. “Look at me, Saahira.”

  Saahira slowly raised her eyes.

  “What are they saying to you?” Lillith’s voice was muffled behind Saahira’s hands, but it was just as easy to read her lips.

  “They… They want me to…” Saahira swallowed against the lump in her throat and lowered her arms. They want to taste me… She wasn’t ready to make a deal with demons. Nor was she equipped or prepared to kill them. Would Lillith really agree? “They say you have to help me summon them.”

  Lillith nodded and placed her hands on Saahira’s shoulders. “When the time comes and you are ready, I will.” Her golden irises pierced through Saahira, as if seeing far deeper than the surface of her face. “Until then, I would ask the Six to have patience. Is that enough?”

  -You dare to draft your own terms with our chosen?-

  Lillith frowned. “What will it take for you to agree?”

  She can hear them? Saahira searched Lillith’s eyes, but they weren’t looking at her. “Do you always hear other demons?”

  “Only when their quarry has not learned to protect themselves,” Lillith murmured. Her voice had lost its lilt; her words were low and angry. “It is a spell, and we must have physical contact.”

  -Why should we submit to a lowly succubus?-

  Her brow furrowed. “You are driving your chosen to the brink. You must give her time.”

  -That is not for you to decide.-

  “You will never traverse the Wall if you drive her to madness.”

  -You underestimate her.-

  “Once you’ve joined this side, you will better understand mortals. Do not claim to do so now.”

  -…-

  “How long are you willing to wait?”

  Silence.

  Lillith hissed a furious sound through clenched teeth. After some time, she growled, “Must I block your sight?”

  -You insolent Eroria!-

  Lillith snarled and stood, turning to her chalkboard and crossing her arms beneath her chest.

  Their…sight? Saahira waited with her stomach in knots. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck. “Lillith—”

  “I will teach you tomorrow of the Wall between humans and demons,” Lillith said, her attention trained on the board.

  “They called me ‘their chosen.’ What does that mean?” Saahira winced and pushed herself to standing.

  Lillith lowered her arms to her sides. “That they are forever inextricably linked with you. The Six do not commune with just anyone, and they have fated you as their summoner.”

  “How? Why?”

  “Demons prefer to test humans by using the power of their suggestions. Each one is a test to see how well you perform. In the end, your choices determine what they ask of you once you summon them.” She hesitated for a fraction of a second before continuing, “If they’ve chosen you, then you have completed enough tasks. Likely, your final test was the circle you drew.”

  “Should I not have accepted their requests?”

  “That is a line of thought that will lead you nowhere. What’s done is done.” Lillith shook her head. “I will work with you until you are prepared. We will summon them. And if the worst should come to pass, we will be ready to kill them.”

  “Their requests are getting louder. You heard them; they don’t want to wait anymore.” Saahira shivered. “What should I do until I’m ready?”

  “I will cast a spell over you today and on every full moon hereafter to keep them from your thoughts.”

  -No!-

  “They won’t be able to speak with me?”

  “Correct.” Lillith returned her attention to Saahira and placed a hand on either side of her throat. “I must warn you, I have only cast this over students chosen by one demon, so this may not work. Now, please hold still.” She closed her eyes and murmured a string of words in a tongue Saahira had never heard before.

  A sensation not unlike grabbing a hot coal blanketed the skin around her neck, and Saahira gasped. A shockingly cold reply swelled in her chest and thrust upward, warring against Lillith’s spell with an intensity that took Saahira’s breath away.

  -Meddling wretch! You interfere with dealings far above you!-

  Lillith continued her casting unabated, raising her voice and steadying her grasp.

  -Saahira! Push her away!-

  The powerful suggestion itched in Saahira’s palms and fingers. Beyond the pain of their magic, she could sense the desperate, clawing need to stop this spell. I won’t hear them anymore. The thought suddenly terrified her. A series of pictures flooded her mind: lonely sessions in her dorm room without comfort, further failings in her classes while her peers laughed at her, cold nights with cravings only they understood…

  But… Is that what I want? Or you?

  -Saahira… Please.-

  Inside of her pain and fear and loneliness, Saahira found a tiny glimmer of strength. Of herself. She was here to learn; to take control. If this was her destiny, as Nia would say, then she needed to establish her place beside the choir.

  Saahira nurtured the glimmer into a flame, and made her first demand of the Six: If you continue to press me so aggressively, I will return and let Lillith complete the spell.

  There was a strange sensation in her chest and throat; like the first cracks of ice on the surface of a pond in spring turned into a feeling.

  Tell me you agree!

  -…We agree.-

  Saahira grabbed Lillith’s wrists and stepped backward, freeing herself from the spell. Tendrils of her hair clung to her face by the sheen of sweat that covered her skin. The magic slowly subsided while Saahira caught her breath. Her hands trembled, and her knees felt unsteady.

  Lillith opened her eyes and studied Saahira’s hands around her wrists. “Shall I continue?”

  Saahira chewed the inside of her cheek—she was trusting demons at their word! At last, she weakly shook her head.

  “You are certain?”

  “They”—she swallowed against her parched throat, but her words still rasped—“they agreed to stop tormenting me. Otherwise, I’ll ask you to finish the spell.”

  “You struck a bargain with the Six,” Lillith murmured and withdrew her hands. “Very good, Saahira. They chose well.”

  The fear and panic eased. Had it been theirs? Hers? Why had they said, “Please” for the first time? Where had she found the confidence to make a demand of demons? She felt dizzy.

  “Stay strict to your word, sweet girl,” Lillith continued. “If they do not heed your command, return to me immediately.”

  “Alright.” Saahira hugged her arms around her chest. The sharp blend of hot and cold seeped out of her throat and her full voice returned. “Why would you do all of this for me?” she asked. Lillith was still a demon, wasn’t she?

  “It is part of my pact with our darling headmaster to protect the students of the sanctum to the best of my abilities.” She tapped one finger against her elbow. “Besides, I do not take kindly to being referred to as ‘lowly.’”

  Saahira collected her satchel, steadied her breathing, and drew an invisible summoning circle over its flap. “Lillith… Why did they choose me?” she whispered.

  Lillith moved to her desk and began to sort through the books. “There are many factors that determine a demon’s choice; most of them personal and dependent on the demon themself. We will discuss some of the potential reasons in class, but unless they tell you truthfully, they can be difficult to pinpoint.”

  The bell signaling that first class of the day was about to begin rang from high above, startling Saahira. She quickly brushed her fingers through her hair and fluffed her cloak to alleviate the sweat on her neck and back. Her hands were still shaking. “I… Thank you, Lillith.”

  “Aep'gl lbse’al,” Lillith said without looking up.

  Saahira blinked at the foreign pronunciations, then heard the door to the classroom squeak open. She took her cue to leave and quickly made her way to hexlations.

  -You did well.-

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