Suryna’s
Winter
Mountain
Academy
The
words were like blocks, painted black against the wooden sign. It
stood out against the white snow that surrounded it. A large archway
studded with torches marked the entryway to the rather small school.
I
stood holding my bag in my left hand, and wrapping my scarf tighter
around my neck with my right. It was very cold in the mountain, and
the snow never seemed to cease falling.
It
had been a long journey, and I hoped it would be worth it. Already I
could tell the school was very small, and would not be housing many
students if any at all. I suppose that and the way it was built that
made its tuition so immense.
The
first room was ground level, made of diamond-, gold-, and lapis
lazuli-ore, with one glowstone on the top to give illumination from
both within and without. I had yet to enter, but the school continued
to be built in the air, a stairway connected each building. What
looked like trees sprouted out from behind a huge stone building off
to the right, and a glass roof could be seen beyond that.
I
make my way up to the front gates, carefully closing them behind me.
Once I was at the simple front door I knocked. Two voices could be
heard from inside, and paused in their conversation when I knocked. A
middle-aged lady came to the door and opened it for me.
“Welcome,
a student I presume? Wonderful, I’m Ms. Penhallow. What’s your
name?”
She
was tall, around five foot nine, and had mousy brown hair. She was
thin, and her face was warm, and her eyes sparkled with kindness.
“I’m
Adria Postleth.”
“Ah
yes, the last to enroll, yet the first to arrive. How was your
journey?” asked Ms. Penhallow as she took my bag. The other lady,
who looked much older with gray hair and a winkled face, was
observing me carefully.
“It
was long. I came from the rain forest in Canala.”
“Ah,
much warmer there isn’t it? I come form the south myself, but only
as far was the Neverblack Forest. Now, how about I show you around?”
She pointed around the room. “This is the kitchen and teachers
lounge. You’ll hardly ever come down here again, unless you need to
leave. There’s a couple rare books that we keep here for students
who have extra credit projects, otherwise they’re off limits. If
you can’t find a teacher, chances are they’ll be here.”
She
led me outside and up a flight of open stairs. “You’ll get used
to the cold soon enough, and don’t worry about slipping. The stairs
are made of wet-dry wood from your rain forest.” The stairs end in
an open platform, railings ran around all the edges, and torches
stood at the corners. The material was what looked like purple sand,
but it seemed to sparkle and fly in an unseen wind. Glass ran
diagonally across the center, revealing the snow-covered ground
beneath.
“This
is sort of the lunch area, or free time area. You can come here and
do anything you want. You’ll find students love to socialize and
hold parties here.” Ms. Penhallow pointed to the right, where a
walkway went a couple yards and ended at a massive stone building. A
sign above the door said: LIBRARY –imagine-.
“That’s
the library, explanatory enough. It’s two floors and will have all
the books you’ll ever need, believe me. A few classes are held
there, but there’s also study halls going on, so it’s very quiet.
Do try to maintain this.”
Ushering
me up yet another flight of stairs, we stop at the door. A sign above
it said AMETHYST.
“This
is the first dormitory, Amethyst. A family of four stays here, two
girls and two boys, so we don’t mind rooming them together. They’re
in the common dormitory, as we call it, and have an eye on them at
all times.”
We
enter. There were four beds, and four chests next to each of them.
Many torches lined the walls and it was much warmer in here than in
the first room. The walls were stone, as was the ceiling, save
another glowstone that stood at the top.
We
exited the room through the other door, and out onto a terrace. Two
large patches of grass where here, and two large trees grew as well.
More fencing lined the edge. To the left stairs led up, and to the
right two more doorways could be seen. Ms. Penhallow walked me to the
right.
“This
is the second dormitory, Jade. Four more young men are staying here.
And this last one is the one your in, Amber. You’ll be rooming with
three more girls your age. Being in dormitories of the opposite sex
is strictly forbidden.” She led be into Amber, where it looked
exactly like the first one. She set my bag down on the second bed on
the left. “Meals will be served in your rooms, and then you may eat
them wherever you wish.”
I
looked around. It was small, but it was cozy. “Who else is coming?”
“Well
I can’t remember everyone by name dear, but you’ll meet them
before nightfall, as well as the other teachers. Some of them are out
right now. Now come along! Let’s get on with the tour.”
Ushering
me out of the room, she guides me over to the wooden stairs. Up the
first four, you could either go straight or right, we went straight.
It ended at a sandstone building with double doors.
“A
couple of your classes will be here, the Alchemy room.” We go in.
Four Enchantment tables lined the walls, and between them were
bookshelves. Only a few torches were lit and it made the room rather
chilly. I tug my coat closer around me.
“You’re
clothes just won’t do will they?” says Ms. Penhallow, though it
was more of a statement rather than a question. “I’ll order some
appropriate clothes for you. Now, back down, I’ll show you my
favorite room.
Back
down the stairs, we go up the next room. It was made of lapis lazuli
had glass walls and ceiling. Despite the glass, however, it was quite
warm, though only four torches burned total. Every manner of plants
grew on the grass floor, from flowers to herbs to vegetables.
“This
is the Greenhouse and Observatory. You’ll have biology and
astronomy here.”
I
was barely listening. I kneel down to examine a yellow flower with
little gray lumps on the stem. “Where did you get a Sundasiy?” I
ask I wonder. “They’re nearly extinct everywhere else.”
Ms.
Penhallow smiles. “A girl student from Mirhalton, out in the
desert, brought that a few years back when they still grew. We’ve
taken great care of it since. I believe her little brother is coming
this year. Come, I have one more room to show you.”
I
reluctantly we left the greenhouse, up a flight of stairs, and into
what looked like a prison. Dark stone made up the walls, and iron
bars lined the sides. Two floor to ceiling cages, also made iron bars
were on both sides of it, and within each one was a monster, the size
of a man, with pink skin and green warts sprouting puss.
I
cringe away in disgust; I knew what they were, and what they could
do.
“We
keep them kind of as guards,” Ms. Penhallow was explaining. “But
we hardly ever need them. They won’t attack unless provoked.”
“What’s
in that room?” I point down a flight of stairs exiting the prison
room. They were made of obsidian, and ended at a room made of what
looked like red sand with an obsidian roof. A solid iron door stood
there, and there were no windows.
“Ah,
and that is the last rule of the academy: no one shall enter that
room or go anywhere near it. There’s nothing in there that concerns
you, and also for your own safety, don’t go near it.” Ms.
Penhallow patted my shoulder. “Come on, I think I hear another
student arriving, let’s go greet them.”
--------------------
§Emma
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