Chapter 18: Demon Tax
Kir and his moms arrived at the gate to Norneau, only to find themselves at the end of a long line of carts waiting to get in.
Even so, he got a great view of the city from the side, and Brigit pointed out that the large structure on top of the promontory was the Academy he would be going to. Beneath it spread a massive lake that made the city unassailable by land on three sides.
The Academy was a castle, built with white-painted stone and towering over twenty five stories tall, if Kir's counting of the windows was correct. It had four massive towers representing what Kir thought of as the Classical elements - Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire.
Twelve bridges represented the interactions between each element, eight of which connected to the largest tower at the center of the formation, which was where the cafeteria, dorms, libraries, and facilities were housed. Lessons would occur in the elemental towers, and even from this distance Kir could see some of the classrooms had open-faces, or perhaps invisible bricks, so that students could learn in sunlight.
Kir wasn't about to memorize the names of all the bridges though, so he focused on determining which cart was Lugh's so he would know how long he had to wait for trouble.
He also turned the token Lugh had dropped over in his hand, lightly crushing it between his fingers as he tried not to fidget too much.
The last thing he wanted was for his moms to have to worry that he had an enemy. It made him wish that Lugh had confronted him directly so he could, to paraphrase Darlae, end the fight.
Hopefully, he would be done with his exam soon and Lugh would become a distant memory.
Each exam for Academy entry occurred on the fifth week of every quarterly month. Arriving with three days to spare wasn't a lot of time in his book, but it meant he wouldn't have long to wait for his results.
Assuming nothing bad happened, he could take the first day off with his moms to shop and study, the second day to take the exam, and the third day to receive his results.
He still would register early though, because Brigit mentioned during the caravan trip that she "May have forgotten to mention his heritage when she acquired permission to sponsor him as her apprentice."