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⊹ Book 1 of the Aldergrove Duology ⊹
After being told he has only six months left to live, Clementine decides to track down his sister's murderers, leading him to Aldergrove A...
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Clementine claimed the seat farthest from the front in history class. Back there, he could get a good look at everyone he'd be sharing this room with for the rest of the semester. More particularly, he eyed the hands of each student as they made their way in and chose their seats. Not one possessed a Ravenblood ring, and in his disappointment, he sighed quietly and leaned back in his seat.
As much as he wanted to give names and faces to his enemies, he knew he had to be patient. Yesterday was the first day of the semester, and killing Harrison had been a very risky move, but he'd gotten away with it. He'd not tempt fate, though. He got lucky that someone had decided to attack Molly that same night, or he might have been found in that library before he could flee the scene.
There wasn't so much chatter among the thirty or so students in the class, but when Professor Warren glided into the room, his robe swaying like a Grim Reapers cloak, the students fell into total silence.
The man's crimson eyes flickered from student to student, and as he reached his desk, he pulled a thick, leather-bound book from beneath it. The sound the collision made echoed around the gloomy room, bouncing off the oak-panelled walls and vibrating through the rib-vaulted ceiling. He had everyone's attention.
"Good morning," he called, his voice something of a rumble. "I am Professor Warren, Aldergrove's renowned keeper of history. I have been here long enough to have taught some of your great-great-grandparents, and it brings me a certain joy to be lecturing for yet another semester."
Warren moved around from behind his desk and started pacing in front of the silent, staring students. His tawny skin glistened in what little light managed to break through the trees outside and through the room's tall, arching windows.
He held his hands behind his back. "Aldergrove has existed for centuries and serves as an opportunity for ten of a hundred students. You should all take great pride in knowing that you have been chosen to take part in this semester, but you must also be cautious. It has been said that students are attacked here—that students die here. This is true. Only the esteemed may pass and join the elite in the New World, and one way to prove you deserve such a title is to take out your competition...by any means necessary," he drawled.
A chorus of mumbles broke the silence—even the walls surrounding them seemed to shiver in anticipation, but as Warren held up his hand, the quiet returned.
"However," the professor bellowed, "only those of you who are perceptive and astute can claim your place. Not only must you survive, but you must also remain discrete. That is Aldergrove's greatest challenge. Watch your backs, pass your classes, and claim your right to a life free of death and depravity," he called humbly.
