Elemental Earth (Paranormal Public) by Maddy Edwards Page B

trees. It was like a castle built of gold. All along
the walls and parapets were jeweled stones, winking at us in the bright winter
sun. Even from this distance I could hear the rush of water, but the waterfall that
had given Golden Falls its name must have been hidden behind the university,
because I couldn’t see it.
    “Isn’t it beautiful?” Sip asked,
her eyes shining.
    “You’ve been inside?” I asked,
shocked.
    Sip shook her head. “We’ve just
run past. It’s famously hard to get into. It would ruin the rarefied air,
wouldn’t it?” But she grinned as she said it. It was great to see her smile
again, but I wasn’t sure how long the mood would last.
    All the other Public students
looked excited. No matter how many times I told myself that this was where I’d
be spending the semester, it was hard to believe. The day was looking up, and I
was happier than ever that Keller was with me.
    We landed in front of the shining
white gates that led into Golden Falls. Some of us were more graceful about it
than others. I would never be good on a broom.
    Why hadn’t Dacer told me?
Probably because Golden Falls wasn’t something a picture could do justice to.
It was like a dream come to life as the pillars soared high overhead. I could
see why demons never attacked here. How could they possibly get in?
    “This is going to be the most
amazing semester of my life,” said Lough, his eyes bright with excitement.
    “Given how the others have gone,
that isn’t hard to believe,” said Lisabelle dryly.
    “So, I have good news,” said
Zervos, striding toward us as we clustered together.
    “I can’t wait to hear it,” said
Lisabelle, folding her arms.
    “All the females from Public will
stay together,” he said, “and the males will be together in a second suite of
rooms.”
    I held up my hand and Zervos
sighed. He ignored me for as long as possible, but when it was clear I wasn’t
going to give up he spoke again.
    “Faci has his own quarters. The
Validification children, likewise, will have their own housing, since as
hybrids they claim to have special needs,” said Zervos, as if he tasted
something rotten.
    “Excellent,” said Lough, rubbing
his hands together. “That just leaves Camilla, and she’s a girl. Sorry, Kia.
This day just keeps getting better and better. Now all we need is lunch.”
    “Where’d Sectar go?” I asked,
looking around. Everywhere I looked, from the flagstones to the outlying
buildings and ramparts, there was one material or another shining in gold and
white. “Right here,” came a booming voice. We all jumped back. The pearl-colored
gates were soundlessly opening.
    “I don’t like any of this,” said
Lisabelle.
    “Of course you don’t,” Sip
sighed. “You don’t like anything pretty.”
    “No, seriously,” said the
darkness mage. “It’s not just because they don’t like darkness. I’m registering
my complaints now so I can say I told you so later.”
    “Wonderful,” Sip muttered.
    The doors opened to reveal Sectar
standing at the head of a uniform line of perfectly dressed students. They wore
head to toe gold and stood with their hands clasped behind their backs. They
also had caps on their heads, which must have been something they did for
formal occasions, like welcoming visiting students.
    Some wore colored ribbons on
their shoulders. I’d have to remember to find out later what those ribbons meant.
I looked for Nolan in the sea of students, but I didn’t see him anywhere.
    They marched until they had
filled the courtyard and we were entirely surrounded, and as I watched them I
noticed something strange that they all shared. Their rings were not those of
any paranormal type. Instead, each student wore a black jeweled ring, making it
more difficult to know what type each paranormal was. A symbol of Golden Falls?
    “Stop,” Sectar called. Instantly
all the students came to a halt.
    “We are here together, on the
occasion of the start of classes, to greet