Chapter 10
The aspirants’ dormitory was, as Paulette had warned me, very spare. It was located in a high-ceilinged room containing rows of beds with a small chest at the foot of each, divided in half by a wall that didn’t reach the roof.
“That’s the boys’ side,” Paulette said, pointing to an opening set in the dividing wall. “And this is Matris Vella, who oversees the aspirants.”
A woman in a light gray robe rose from her desk near the door. Her white-threaded hair was twisted into a bun at the back of her head, and she gave me a disinterested look as she pulled a piece of parchment and charcoal pencil from a drawer.
“Name?” she asked.
“Rose Valrois…” I hesitated a moment, then added, “Celcio.”
Her head jerked up, her gaze sharpening. “Ah. So you’re the one he went to find.”
“I supp
