(Chapter Nine: Academy Life Starts)
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The morning was mild and clean. The city's roofs held a thin line of light. The temple bells rolled once, not loud, like a hand on a shoulder. John and Fizz walked up the broad steps under the two white towers. The stone was cool. The air smelled like flowers and old books.
Inside the gate, the first court was quiet. A stream ran through a carved channel and made a calm sound. Novices in pale robes crossed one by one. A pair of old women fed small birds by the edge of the water. A scribe pushed a cart of scrolls and nodded as he passed.
The temple guard walked with John when they reached the main building, "Priestess Sera is waiting," she said, pointing down the right side of the court. "Cedar cloister. Third arch."
