The classroom Renard entered was unlike anything he'd expected. Circular like most rooms in the monastery, it had tiered stone benches arranged in concentric rings around a central demonstration area. The walls were covered with charts showing anatomical diagrams of the human body overlaid with glowing lines and symbols that seemed to pulse with their own light.
About twenty students filed in behind him, taking seats on the stone benches. Most looked nervous and excited - this would be their first formal introduction to the magical arts that had brought them to this remote mountain monastery.
Renard chose a seat in the middle tier, close enough to see clearly but not so prominent that he'd draw unwanted attention. As he settled onto the cold stone bench, he noticed that several students kept glancing around at their classmates, probably wondering who else had survived the staircase trial.
