ASHES OF THE CRIMSON THRONE

Eirlys POV The carriage door slammed behind me, and I watched the driver disappear into the mist. I stood outside Beast Academy, clutching my bag and scholarship letter. After years of studying and struggling to survive without magic, I had finally made it here . But I didn't come here simply to earn a certificate. I had a goal which was to discover why I was the only person in my village who couldn't use magic and to find the truth my mother had taken to her grave. Before she died, my mother had told me that being different didn't make me weak. She never explained what she meant, and I had spent years wondering whether she knew something about me that I didn't. Beast Academy had the largest magical archives in the kingdom. If there was an answer to my questions, I believed I could find it there. The scholarship was my only chance. I had no wealthy family to pay my fees, and if I lost my place, I would lose access to the one institution that might help me uncover the truth. I couldn't afford to fail. Look what the carriage brought in. I turned towards the entrance. A group of students stood on the steps, dressed in expensive coats and polished boots. The girl at the front had copper-red hair and amber eyes. She looked me over before turning to the boy beside her. Is this a scholarship student? she asked. I heard the academy was accepting humans this year, but I didn't expect them to lower their standards this much." One of the students laughed. My face grew hot, but I refused to look away. I'm standing right here, I said. You don't have to discuss me as if I'm not. Her eyebrows rose. Someone has a sharp tongue And someone needs better manners. The boy beside her smirked, but she looked annoyed. Enjoy your first day, human. It might be your last. They walked away, laughing among themselves. I tightened my grip on my bag. I have heard worse insults growing up. Other children could create flames, control water, or move objects with a flick of their fingers. I couldn't do any of those things. People had called me useless for as long as I could remember. Their opinions had never changed the fact that I wanted answers. I took a breath and headed towards the registration entrance. Freshmen register through the east entrance,a girl called from beside a stone pillar. Unless you need someone to read the sign for you. I turned. She had chestnut-brown hair, freckles across her cheeks, and a thick scarf around her neck. Unlike the others, she wasn't looking at me with disgust. I can read, I replied. I'm just deciding whether to skip registration. She laughed. Fair enough. I'm Tamsin Quillan. Eirlys Thornevale. She glanced at the scholarship letter in my hand. First year? Yes. Then come with me. The registration office is confusing, and the staff aren't known for being helpful. I followed her through the entrance. As we walked, I noticed strange symbols carved into the stone walls. Some matched nothing I had seen before, while others reminded me of drawings in my mother's old notebook. I made a mental note to examine them later. Can I ask you something? Are you planning to ask me how to turn someone into a frog? Or what? Not yet. Where's the academy library? Tamsin looked surprised. "You're asking about the library before you've even seen your room? I need to find something. Something important? Something my mother left behind. Her expression softened, but she didn't press me for details. The library is in the eastern building. The restricted archives are deeper inside, though you'll need permission to enter. How do I get permission? That depends on what you're looking for. Before I could ask more, we reached the registration desk. After completing the paperwork, I received my room key and class schedule. My hands shook slightly as I signed the final form. I was officially a student at Beast Academy. One step closer to the answers I had spent years searching for. As we left the office, Tamsin lowered her voice. "There's something you should know. Students have gone missing here." I stopped. Missing? "Some disappeared without explanation. The academy says most of them left voluntarily, but not everyone believes that. Where did they disappear from? She hesitated. Mostly around the northern wing. Stay away from it, especially after dark. I studied her face. She wasn't joking. "Why hasn't anyone investigated?" Some people have. They didn't get very far. That answer unsettled me, but it also made me more curious. If the academy was hiding something, I needed to be careful about how I searched for the truth. We reached the courtyard, where the mist had grown thicker. Tamsin went ahead to speak to another student while I checked my scholarship letter one last time. Then I heard a whisper. Eirlys. I stopped. Someone had spoken my name, but no one stood near me. I turned towards the mist. Who's there? No answer came. A sharp pain spread beneath my ribs. I pressed my hand against my chest, waiting for it to pass. It had happened before, but never so strongly like this. I looked towards the academy's stone walls. For one brief moment, I thought I saw a golden light flicker behind a narrow window. Then it disappeared. I couldn't explain what I had heard or felt, but I knew one thing. I hadn't come to Beast Academy to impress the students who looked down on me. I had come to uncover the truth about myself and my mother. I would earn my place, find access to the archives, and discover why I had been born without magic. Whatever secrets this academy hel d, I would find them. I just had to make sure I survived long enough to uncover them.