Her belongings fit into one basket, and Pelina carried it through the High Towers corridors led by a guard. Teachers and other students glanced at her, and whispers filled the air as she walked past. They tried to cover their jealousy with contempt, as if earning one’s advancement by sleeping around—which they most assuredly believed she had—was a scandal in the High Towers. No one had ever had three mentors in such a short time, so the gossip would circle about them giving up on her, but such blabber would be meaningless. With each new teacher being a more powerful archmage, Pelina had no doubt that every single student would gladly swap places with her if they could.
She held off the bitter smile accompanying those thoughts, and kept a smug expression of satisfaction on her face to dece
