Montego by Brian McClellan

Author:Brian McClellan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

8

A carriage delivered Montego and Demir to the Fordeef Academy early the next morning. It was a grand building just a short ride up the river from the hotel: four floors of mighty blue granite, ugly and square, enclosing a parade yard that could have swallowed Montego’s old village whole. It was a confusing swirl of humanity, packed with children of all ages as well as an equal number of adults in various cuts of tunic and jackets. It didn’t take long for Montego to realize that they were servants and bodyguards, and it seemed like he and Demir were the only kids who didn’t have them.

Expecting to be abandoned the moment their carriage dropped them off, Montego was surprised when Demir remained by his side. The younger boy walked confidently and purposefully, leading Montego through the press of bodies, occasionally stopping without complaint when Montego fell behind, overwhelmed.

“Mother asked me to keep an eye on you,” Demir explained to him as they entered a long, narrow hallway, “so we’ll be attending the same classes until you’ve been properly evaluated. Don’t worry about the first week, it’s mostly fluff, and no tutor worth listening to will expect a new ward direct from the provinces to know anything.”

The statement felt like an insult, but Montego could find no animosity in Demir’s tone or expression. He nodded along. He felt alien here, incredibly out of place, the wound of Grandma’s broken cudgel still fresh. His new clothes, which had seemed so comfortable yesterday, now hung from him like they belonged to someone else. His size didn’t help. Kids stared as he walked past, whispering behind hands. Bodyguards frowned at him as if assessing a new threat. Strangely, he wasn’t the only one being watched. Demir was just as much a subject of scrutiny as he was, if not more. That was odd.

He was, he realized, the only child without an inked sigil on his right hand.

Demir paused outside the door to a classroom and handed Montego a pocket watch. “I have to go evaluate a new tutor,” he said. “You can wait here until class starts in ten minutes.”

The prospect of standing alone in this chaos made Montego’s skin crawl. “What do you mean by evaluate?” he asked.

“Mother has certain expectations for my teachers,” Demir said. “If a new tutor isn’t up to her standards, she’ll change my classes.”

“I see,” Montego answered, though he certainly didn’t. Demir gave him a sharp nod and entered the room alone, leaving Montego standing uncertainly to one side. He watched a group of kids pass, shadowed by servants carrying stacks of books, making him feel self-conscious that he held his own. Adults and children alike glanced at him curiously as they passed.

“Montego?” a voice called.

Montego jumped, not expecting to hear his own name, and whirled to see the source of the shout. He found Kizzie bounding down the hallway toward him, grinning. She wore a long sky-blue tunic and matching jacket and a tiny stud of forgeglass in her ear.

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