Hundred Halls Short Story Bundle Vol. 1

Escape to the Hundred Halls!

Explore the world's only modern magical university in these five short stories and novelettes about the dangers of demon summoning, a strange and enlightening circus, a being you never want to meet in the dark, the perils of a summer internship, and a contest with a brutal history.

Read these five Hundred Hall short stories, previously only released to his newsletter but now available for a wider audience.

Nadia's Triumph
The Ghostly Light of Hallow's Eve
The Whistling Man
Summer Spies
The Ascendent Cup

Nadia's Triumph

"The greatest magics occur at the precipice of life and death," said Patron Malden Anterist to a room full of Coterie students on their first day of the new year.
The words hung in the air, poignant and indecipherable, just the way Nadia knew that Malden liked it. The students around her shifted in their seats, uncomfortable with the ambiguity, while Nadia let a light smirk rise to her lips.
Under normal circumstances, a man who looked like Malden Anterist would have been unremarkable. He had an ordinary face with a just-so nose. He stood an average height, was within the standard weight, not too fit, but not even remotely chubby. Even his hair was a typical brown, not even artfully tinged with gray to make him appear wiser.
But within him was a spark that burned so bright Nadia had seen celebrities fumble their words when they met him. His gestures signified a strength of purpose, a clarity of vision. Even the barest arching of the eyebrow contained multitudes.
A sharp elbow found her ribs as her younger sister, Alysson, a first-year student at the Coterie of Mages, who was seated next to her, whispered, "Is he always like this?"
As Malden continued to lecture at the head of the auditorium about the limits of magic, Nadia cupped her hand over her mouth and replied, "He makes these grand statements to keep the illusion up that he's all-powerful, dangerous even, but don't let that fool you. He actually cares."
Alysson sat up taller, scrutinizing the head of the magical hall. Nadia knew what her sister was thinking: could the head of the most powerful hall in Invictus really have a soft heart? It'd taken a lot of convincing to get her to join Coterie rather than Arcanium or Animalians. Either one might have been a better fit on the surface, but Nadia knew that this hall would get the best from her sister, as it had for her.
When Patron Malden asked for questions, a first year's hand went up in back, a girl with an Afro and freckles.
"I heard that Head Patron Invictus is missing. Is that true?" she asked.
Nadia sat taller. The rumor had reached her during the summer break, but she'd blown it off at the time. That those rumors had persisted was worrisome to say the least.
Patron Malden cocked a smile. "Head Patron Invictus has lived for a very long time. I doubt there's anything alive that can kill him."
"But no one has seen him since earlier this year," said the first year.
"True. But he frequently disappears on important missions that only he knows about, so I don't think there's any need to worry," said Malden.
Nadia shifted in her seat. Whenever someone told her not to worry, she always felt like it meant the source of the concern was real. But she also couldn't imagine that Invictus could be dead, because that would throw the magical university into chaos.
Patron Malden took more questions, which Nadia didn't care about because they dealt with topics one could easily learn about online. Then a first-year student asked one that made her take notice.
"I heard Coterie mages get to learn about demon summoning. Is that true?" asked a guy in the back row.
Patron Malden paced across the front of the room with his fingers steepled. "Demon summoning is an aberration of magic, which will only tear apart the fabric of this world. I recognize that the motto of this hall is limitless, but I hope you understand it is meant as a measure of imagination. Know that there are and will be limits while you are a member of this hall. Demon summoning is one of those limits. Not only is it extremely difficult, but it is dangerous, not only to the mage in question, but to the city itself."
"Why is that?" asked the first year.
"Because the act of summoning is to forcibly drag a creature from another realm into this one to do your bidding. The very act of that violence rips the barrier between this one and the next apart, having unpredictable consequences. The risk is not worth the reward," he said.
The answer got a lot of nods from the younger mages, who were still getting used to the idea that the boundaries of their abilities had just expanded immensely, and that came with risks.
Another first year, a handsome guy on the far right, raised his hand.
"What happens if you encounter someone summoning a demon? What do you do?"
Patron Malden raised an eyebrow as a grin rose to his lips. "For you, my boy, I would recommend running as fast as you can the other way."
The whole class erupted in good-natured amusement, and crimson stained the questioner's cheeks. A fellow first year patted him on the shoulder..
"But seriously," said Patron Malden with a wink, "run, really fast."
Nadia let the mirth heave her stomach, and her sister was nearly doubled over with the back of her hand over her mouth. As the wave of laughter subsided, Alysson glanced up at Nadia with a sparkle of enjoyment in her gaze, an acknowledgement that she was glad she'd chosen this hall. A point of sisterly pride for Nadia.
"Enough with my lecturing," said Patron Malden. "Let's see if our advanced students have been paying attention in class. Nadia, what's the first rule of stopping a demon summoning?"
As all eyes fell upon her, Nadia sat up taller and raised her chin as she spoke. "The first rule is that if it's already started, you're probably too late."
"Good," said Patron Malden with a nod in her direction. It brought a kernel of warmth to her midsection. "Victoria, the second?"
On the left side of the auditorium, Victoria Dreadmarsh sat surrounded by her gang of sycophants. Today, her hair was a mix of jet black and silvery blonde. Using enchantments to change one's hair color wasn't particularly difficult, but Victoria made it so damn artful that Nadia reached up and touched her own black hair in response.
"The second rule is that the energies to close a portal are greater than opening it because the summoner has had a head start." Victoria let a grin rise to her lips. "Of course, the best method would be to convince the demon to leave of its own accord, but if you could do that, you'd be the greatest mage ever in the Hundred Halls."
Her answer brought laughter to the auditorium.
"Excellent," said Patron Malden with a hand raised toward Victoria as the class beamed their smiles at her.
As the patron continued to lecture, Alysson said under her breath, "Who is that? She's gorgeous."
"She has the soul of a gorgon," said Nadia, scowling. "Her parents own half the property in Invictus—only the alchemist patron is richer than they are."
Alysson's forehead wrinkled as she tucked a strand of honey-brown hair behind her ear. "I bet she's not very good then if she's had mommy and daddy's money all these years."
Nadia sighed. "No, actually, she's really good, which makes her even more annoying."
She was so busy focusing her ire upon Victoria, Nadia hadn't realized the class had stopped and everyone was staring at her.
"Nadia?" asked the patron.
"Yes?" asked Nadia as her gut sunk into her knees.
"I was asking if you would like to join me for a demonstration," he said.
Nadia banished her embarrassment as she climbed to her feet. "Yes, Patron, I would love to."
As she made her way to the head of the auditorium, he gestured towards Victoria.
"Of course."
Nadia took position on one side of the patron, readying herself for a mage duel, relieved that she'd chosen to wear loose clothing. The dark black boots over leggings and her asymmetrical gray coat were dressy enough to go out to the Smoke & Amber, but not confining enough that she couldn't manage her spells.
Victoria stood on the other side of the patron wearing striped paper-bag shorts and a floral blouse that managed to thread the needle between casual bohemian and runway model.
"My older students will know this game," said Patron Malden as he pressed a button on the desk. The floor opened up smoothly and a colorful wheel rose up, coming to a stop at chest height. The circle was demarcated with dozens of slices on which the names of various objects—such as block of wood, hunk of hematite, or mercury orb—were written.
Like a game show host, Patron Malden gestured towards the latest addition to the room. "Wheel of Magic. As I said before, the hall motto, limitless, is about creativity. The best mages aren't just filled with useful spells or overflowing with faez, but so clever you could cut yourself on their wit. They perceive things others can't see, make connections that allow them to break through the expectations of what has been done before. This game is a training ground to develop that creativity."
"We will spin the wheel three times. The first time for an item, the second for an element, and the final time for a reagent. From these three, our mages will construct an avatar homunculus, which will do battle in a miniature arena to see which one of our students is the cleverest."