Volinette's Song by Martin Hengst

and the sooner she got out of the classroom building and outside the Academy grounds, the sooner she’d feel safe from a chance encounter with them.
    She dashed down the cobblestone path and past the North Gate, startling the guards who were lounging against the gate posts. Volinette called an apology over her shoulder, coming up short after she left the familiar territory of the Academy grounds. Being outside the walls of the Academy felt safer right now. In the city, she could escape from Janessa and her friends. Inside the school, there were only so many places she could hide , and those were often frequented by the other Apprentices, Acolytes, or Journeymen. Right now, she just wanted to be alone.
    Volinette reached into her pocket, feeling the weight of the few Crowns she had there. The coins didn’t amount to a fortune, but she’d earned enough doing odd jobs around the Academy for Master Casto that she was far from destitute. She could stop in an inn, tavern, or halfway house and get a good hot meal and something to drink if she so desired.
    There was a narrow alcove in the wall that surrounded the Academy. She slipped into that alcove now, watching the bustle of people as they hurried on their duties around the city. She gnawed on her lower lip, trying to decide what she wanted to do. Curfew was the only thing that would drive her back to the dormitory. She’d have several hours before she had to deal with the other girls again. If she w ere lucky, maybe she could even make it to her room before the others noticed she was back.
    Her hand went to the coins in her pocket again. She and Baris had just eaten, so a meal wasn’t appealing in the slightest. Her best bet, as it often was, would probably just be spending the afternoon in the Great Library. It had never done her wrong before, and burying her thoughts in the stories and glories of the past was just the thing that might ease her nerves.
    With a destination and a plan in mind, Volinette slipped from the alcove and set out for the huge stone building that housed an entire wealth of knowledge amassed by Quintessentialists since the Imperium had been founded.

     

 
     
    Chapter Eight
     
     
    When Volinette stepped out of the Great Library and onto the wide avenue that ran through Blackbeach, the streets were mostly deserted. The respectable folk of the city had retreated behind closed doors, leaving those few who were still out and about to wander at their peril. She wasn’t sure how she’d lost track of the time, but it was the first time Volinette had been out past curfew . Her heart thundered against her ribs as she made her way back to the Academy. She dared not run, lest she attract too much attention, but she walked as fast as she could.
    As she approached the entrance to the Academy grounds nearest to the dormitory, her heart sank. The heavy obsidian gates that separated the schools of magic from the rest of Blackbeach were closed. She could feel the guarding magic dancing along the glass bars as she approached. Volinette swallowed hard. Without the right spell or ritual, there was no way she was going to be able to get into the Academy until morning.
    “Who goes there?”
    Never before had Volinette been so happy to hear such a gruff voice. The guard that peered at her from the other side of the gate was a stocky man, w earing thick leather armor inset with obsidian details. He carried a heavy wooden staff that he could, she had no doubt, employ with deadly efficiency.
    “My name is Volinette, Sir. I’m an Acolyte in the School of Sorcery.”
    “You’re out after curfew, Acolyte. I’m not supposed to open the gate for anyone, for any reason.”
    “Please! This is only the first time I’ve missed curfew. Surely you missed curfew once or twice when you were being trained?”
    There was a bark of laughter from beyond the gate, behind the wall where Volinette couldn’t see. The guard glanced over his shoulder toward the sound and made a sour