They drove through bustling squares with fountains featuring various goddesses—Agnes recognized Saifa, and Vada pointed out red-skinned, black-haired Bas, the goddess of death, and Farayage, the goddess of the sea, with rich brown skin and hair as green and tangled as seaweed.

Cafés spilled out onto the sidewalks, with people in all manner of dress. Agnes saw one couple, both men, arm in arm—one wore a fine linen suit that might not look out of place on the streets of Old Port, the other a shimmering silk skirt paired with a lace top. Both had simple crowns of seashells in their hair and their eyes were lined with kohl.

She was once again stunned by the sense that she could be whoever she wanted here, that she could become the Agnes she never fully believed would ever exist. Her hair, free from its bun, tickled the back of her neck in agreement.

They turned up a street that rose steadily higher and when they reached the top, Vada tugged Agnes’s arm and gestured for her to turn around.

The University of Ithilia sprawled out before her and Agnes could not contain her gasp of delight. A long gravel drive lined with cherry trees, their blossoms giving off a sweet fragrance, led up to an imposing, multistoried brick building with wings spreading out on either side and an impressive row of white columns on its front. A few students lounged on the large swaths of lush manicured grass or walked the smaller gravel paths between the main building and various outbuildings scattered throughout the grounds. Agnes’s fingers began to tingle with anticipation—she could already picture the lab, so much bigger than her little closet at home, and all the equipment she would have access to. Professors to teach her instead of outdated musty old books. Her skin prickled at the thought of so much learning, so much potential. Most of the students she saw were women, but there were men among them as well. She could fit in here.

She wondered who her grandmother’s friends were—maybe the dean, or some high-ranking professor. She hoped they would be able to connect her with Ambrosine.

The metapar pulled up to the front doors. Vada hopped down but Agnes climbed out slowly. Her heart was pounding so fast it was like a blur in her chest.

Low marble steps led up to a set of doors emblazoned with the university crest—a falcon with an olive branch clutched in its talons.