Page 22 of White Lights
Dez loosens her crazed grip on the armrests, feeling gaslit by Rafe’s unperturbed expression. “What was that?”
“That was thebarbelo. Another of Acheron’s special effects.”
Willing her heart rate to slow, she tries to make her voice sound as cool as his. “Another ancient Sumerian name?”
“It’s a Gnostic word that means ‘the supreme limit.’ We just crossed it. Which means … we’re here.”
Dez leans over her window and looks out. Snowcapped mountains in moonlight. Craggy peaks of astonishing heights. She’s never seen anything so beautiful. And then, as if carved into the center of the tallest peak—a castle.
A castle in the sky.
“We call the main building Goliath,” Rafe says. “Those Gothic towers are where student housing is. And the long wing in the center is the Vault. That’s where we do our work.”
Dez presses her face to the glass, trying to take it all in. Goliath. The Towers. The Vault.
“See the lawn behind Goliath?” Rafe points at a large, moonlit triangular expanse. “Our version of a quad, but we call it a tri. Beyond it are the classrooms and the dining hall. And in front of it …”
In front of the castle stretches a vast topiary labyrinth.
“What’s that?”
“Our labyrinth was designed by an illustrious landscaper … whose name is impossible to pronounce.”
Dez thinks she sees a shadow moving within the maze. Probably just some grad student out for a drunken stroll. She points at the shadow. “Is someone in there?”
“I hope not,” Rafe says. “I’ve heard of first-years wandering in who never make it out.”
“You’re insufferable. Do you know that?”
“I think the word you’re reaching for isirresistible.”
And he is that too. And he knows it. And it’s maddening.
His lips pull up at the corners. “Don’t go falling for me.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Cuz I’ve got one foot out the door at Acheron.”
“What’s next? Going for your doctorate in narcissism?”
He laughs and lowers his chin, and as he does, the jet swoops down toward the mountain. Almost in time with the movement of his eyes.
“Welcome to your new playground, Desdemona,” he says. “And the site of your further corruption. Welcome to Acheron.”
THE JET LANDS IN Aclearing far from the castle in the sky. Confused, Dez sees nothing at first but a stand of tall spruce trees. Then, through the snowy boughs, she makes out an A-frame chalet.
“What’s that?” she asks Rafe.
“Your stop.”
The cabin looks cozy, almost enchanting, smoke curling from a log chimney and frosted windows lit from within. A place where Dez can envision lying down, closing her eyes, and seeking a shred of peace.
“I thought you said student housing was in the towers we passed back there?” She points down the mountain.
“I did.”
Dez is bleary from the whiskey, from her smashed heart and sleepless night. It’s one in the morning, and she needs to rest before class tomorrow if she’s going to function.
