On the (Book) Trail of Secrets of the First School with T L Huchu

Submitted: 14th October 2025

Secrets of the First School in Edinburgh

Ropa Moyo, ghostalker, troublemaker and failed magician, has been battling villainous villains throughout the first four books of the Edinburgh Nights series.

Secrets of the First School T L Huchu

Things really come to a head in our finale Secrets of the First School in which Henry Dundas the 1st Viscount Melville and former secretary of the Society of Sceptical Enquirers, Scotland’s magical society, has resurrected and is seeking the ultimate power. To this end he will corrupt Scotland’s four schools of magic. Ropa has one little problem she must first take care of — she’s dead and has to find her way back into the world in order to save it.

Locations in Secrets of the First School

If you allow me, I shall be your humble guide……………….

T L Huchu

Locations in Secrets of the First School

You won’t find this place on any map of Edinburgh. That’s because it is the spirit realm glued to ours, grey and dead where our world is alive and bright. The dearly departed are bound there until they are ready to move on to the Realms Beyond. Make sure you visit Edinburgh, between April and September, when the haar, that fog from the sea blankets the town at night, descends.

Locations in Secrets of the First School

Go into the Old Town during the witching hour when the streetlights are fuzzy, smothered by the strange vapours in the air and you will see glimpses of shadows in the corner of your eye. Be very careful — they might drag you into the void. For those of a more nervous disposition, it might be safer to read about it in the Edinburgh Nights series instead.

Old Calton Burial Ground

Locations in Secrets of the First School

The Library of the Dead under Calton Hill is Scotland’s most important magical library filled with rare scrolls, texts, and grimoires that form the foundation of our scientific magic. There are two entrances — magicians descend via the pillars of the National Monument of Scotland atop the hill; the librarians descend through a secret gateway through David Hume’s Mausoleum:

Locations in Secrets of the First School

Ropa Moyo found out the hard way that entry for non-magical practitioners is very risky indeed. The penalty of death applies. Take care when you visit Hume’s grave in case you accidentally fall into the Library.

26 St Andrew Square

Locations in Secrets of the First School

Scottish magic is intimately tied to the Royal Bank of Scotland. In fact, the Bank’s corporate address on Dundas House, 26 St Andrew Square, in the New Town is shared with the Society of Sceptical Enquirers.

Locations in Secrets of the First School

Walk past the imposing statue of Henry Dundas set atop a 150 foot column on St Andrew Square and you are nearly there. The building, easily accessible to the public, is a stunning neoclassical construction designed by Sir William Chambers. There is a stunning cupola in the main banking hall which is well worth admiring. Alas, the magicians are hard to spot as they occupy a hidden dimension within the bank. Please stay calm if you feel an invisible person bump into you while inside — this is perfectly normal.

Melville Castle

Locations in Secrets of the First School

In book four of the Edinburgh Nights series, The Legacy of Arniston House, you might have visited the aforementioned Arniston House. Henry Dundas is also associated with Melville Castle which is a wonderful gothic construction near Dalkeith. Mary Queen of Scots, for whom we all still weep, was a frequent visitor there and you can be one too since it now serves as a rather lovely hotel with gorgeous woodlands surrounding it. Just tell them I sent you and you’ll be sure to get five star treatment.

Dean Cemetery

Locations in Secrets of the First School

The dead in Edinburgh are never truly gone. They linger and gossip to pass the time until some of them get bored and stir up trouble. That’s why ghostalkers like Ropa Moyo are essential for the smooth operation of the city. This particular cemetery is utterly gorgeous and Louisa Stevenson, the campaigner for women’s suffrage and women’s university education continues to shake up contemporary Scotland from her grave there. She is in good company with the remarkable suffragist Agnes Brown and her sister, the social reformer, Flora Stevenson.

If you are a member of the patriarchy, as your humble guide unfortunately happens to be, I would advise you tread extra carefully. Those tough-as-nails ladies brook no nonsense.

T L Huchu