“Malinka?”

  The voice behind me nearly launched my soul straight out of my body.

  If I were the fainting type, that would’ve been the moment for a graceful collapse and a tragic headline. Instead, a cold rush hit me first, then heat, and I turned very slowly — preparing to face either death, doom, or worse.

  It was only Mannik — Grey’s assistant — standing a few steps away, like he hadn’t just shaved five years off my lifespan. His dark hair was slicked neatly back, not a strand out of place. His robes were perfectly pressed, crisp as if they’d been ironed by magic itself, and even his polished shoes gleamed faintly in the low light.

  “Magister Talvan!” I exhaled in relief, trying not to look as shaken as I felt. “I’m… slightly lost. I was looking for the dining hall.”

  His eyes flicked to the grotesque statues lining the corridor. The abandoned wing. The mildew. The atmosphere of imminent haunting.

  “The dining hall,” he repeated carefully. “Here.”

  “Yes,” I muttered. “I took a wrong turn.”

  Mannik raised an eyebrow

  “Students shouldn’t be wandering around this wing,” he said, mildly reproachful. “I’ll get you a map. Study it. Try not to vanish into forbidden wings again.”

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  “That’s very charitable of you,” I said, though internally I was ready to hug him. A map would dramatically reduce my chances of accidental death.

  “And what were you doing here?” I asked.

  He smiled, something mischievous flickering in his eyes.

  “I’m staff,” he replied calmly, as if that answered everything. “I’m allowed to be anywhere.”

  Naturally.

  At that exact moment, my stomach betrayed me with a long, theatrical growl that echoed like a dying beast.

  Mannik laughed. Actually laughed. Then, with unbearable ease, he ruffled my hair.

  Ruffled. My. Hair.

  “As tragic as this place is,” he said warmly, “it seems the real monster is hunger.”

  I glared at him and nodded, trying not to blush.

  “Well then,” he said, straightening. “Come on. I’ll take you to the dining hall before you waste away and become competition for our skeletal employees. We already have enough competition in that department.”

  “Very funny,” I muttered, though I was genuinely grateful for the rescue.

  In an Academy full of cold necromancers, dangerously charming deal-making mages, sadistic queen bees, and snide classmates, Mannik was the only person who had simply… behaved like a normal human being.

  The dining hall turned out to be less “student cafeteria” and more “banquet scene from a gothic epic.”

  High vaulted ceilings. Carved chimeras. Massive iron chandeliers hung overhead, yellow magical flames flickering along their branches and casting a soft glow. Tapestries depicting battles and rituals that probably violated several moral codes.

  “Behold,” Mannik said with mock solemnity, sweeping an arm toward the enormous serpent-carved doors. “Our sacred temple of nourishment. Otherwise known as the dining hall.”

  I stepped inside and the smell hit me immediately.

  Roasted vegetables. Stewed meat. Fresh bread. Real bread. The kind with an actual crust.

  My stomach nearly wept with joy.

  Food!