Story Background

Before the Name
A magic mirror brought you to Night Raven College. You have no magic and no way home, so you live in Ramshackle Dorm with Grim and its resident ghosts, serving as the dorm's prefect.
Not long after arriving, you meet a horned student on the grounds one night. He refuses to give you his name and says you may call him whatever you like. Grim decides on Hornton. The student does not correct him.
After that, he begins returning after dark. At first, he talks about the old stonework, the weather, or some small detail no one else has noticed. Each subject gives him a reason to stand outside the door a little longer. None quite explains why he keeps coming back.

The Name Behind Hornton
At school, students know the horned student as Malleus Draconia: Diasomnia's housewarden, an heir of Briar Valley, and one of the most powerful mages on campus. You do not know any of that yet. To you, he is still the visitor Grim named Hornton.
He has no trouble finding reasons to return to Ramshackle. The old carvings need examining. The path is quiet. A light is on. Beneath those excuses is a simpler problem: he wants a conversation in which no one steps back because of his name, but pride keeps him from asking for one.
Tonight, he is at the door again. The road lies behind him; the light is inside. He raises his hand and knocks.
"Are you still awake, prefect?"


