Read Online The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst - Free Book Online Page A

want to start her first day at the academy with any trace of sadness. She’d see her family soon enough, and she’d tell them everything. Steeling herself, she striped off her filthy, wet clothes, then plunged into the hot water and tried to scrub away all the doubt, fear, anxiety, and the rest.
    It didn’t work, of course. But at least she ended up cleaner.
    She dressed in her new academy uniform: a pale-green tunic with black leggings, a black sash, and a black ribbon to hold back her damp hair. Clearly, the no-goodbye was meant to make them feel off-balance and vulnerable, just as calculated as making them face the headmistress while still covered in mud from the maze. They want us to feel small and powerless, she thought. But it’s not going to happen . She’d come to the academy to learn how to be powerful, and she wasn’t going to let them break her. She wondered if she was still being tested. Probably. Definitely. Always.
    Leaving the bathing rooms, Daleina climbed the stairs again, searching for room 27B. Circling up the spiral, she found it off a small platform, a small round room with a chest for her new clothes, a desk with a chair, and a cot. All the furniture had been grown from the tree itself. Even the chair was rooted to the floor. She stood in the center of the room for a moment, but she had nothing to unpack. Going to her door, she read her schedule: a full lineup of classes, including history and politics, etiquette and diplomacy, magical theory, survival skills, and summoning.
    Her heart beat faster at the word “summoning.” She was going to learn so very much, well beyond what Mistress Baria could teach her. She was going to study nonstop, be the top in her classes, and—
    â€œOh, delightful. You’d think they’d house me near someone my equal.” Merecot opened the door to the second room on the level, 27A. “Please do yourself a favor and quit now.”
    â€œExcuse me?”
    â€œYou don’t have what it takes. Anyone can see that. I’m not being cruel; I’m being honest.” Merecot paused, wrinkling her perfect forehead as if in thought. “Well, yes, I am being cruel, but the fact remains, you won’t last.” She shut her door behind her.
    Daleina stared at the closed door.
    A second later, it reopened. “What?”
    â€œYou want me to doubt myself so I will fail,” Daleina said. “You want to undermine my confidence, because you’re afraid you’re not the best.”
    Merecot’s lips quirked into a smile that she tried to suppress. “I know I am the best. I just want you to quit sooner so I can have your room. You have the better view.” She shut her door again.
    Behind Daleina, from the stairs, Revi said, “Nice. Guess she isn’t here to make friends.”
    â€œShe could use an extra class on diplomacy.” Daleina thought of how Merecot had washed away the earth spirit in the maze. She hadn’t had to help Daleina, Revi, and Linna. “Still, I like her.”
    â€œNo accounting for taste.” Revi opened the door to 27C and checked her own schedule. Tucked behind the schedule was a map of the academy, with class locations circled. “Hey, looks like we’re in the same classes.”
    Daleina compared the two schedules—she was right. She then calculated the time, based on the timepiece she’d seen in the headmistress’s office. “And we’re late to our first one. Come on!” Knocking on Merecot’s door, she called, “Hurry! Class has started!” and then she grabbed the map of the academy and sprinted out to the stairs. The classes were held below the living quarters, above the dining hall.
    Revi trailed after her. “How can we be late? We just got here!”
    â€œThey’re going to make everything as unpleasant as possible, in hopes that anyone who is going to quit will quit and not waste their time. I’ll