Page 88

In comes Earwig, followed by her two dogfish. I know who’ll they’ll be cheering against. Me.

Earwig flashes me a smile then marches over to a cabinet. Mr. Brant unlocks it.

Wait. No.

I’m fighting her?

“You’re making me fight an upper-year? One who hates me?”

She spins around and smirks at me. “Still don’t have self-control over your mouth, do you? Don’t worry, it happens to all of us—before we’ve mastered our weapons.”

My throat closes up.

Earwig turns back around and grabs a spear.

The trident shakes in my hand. I cling to it with both.

“You can do this.” Halen puts a hand on my shoulder.

“You’re not scared of me anymore?”

“I’m still a little freaked out by seeing your hair change like that, but I’m sure it’s fine. My best friend is today’s equivalent to Queen Sirena. No big deal.”

“You’re going to have to fill me in on her story.”

“Later. You’ve got to beat Earwyn.”

“Is this normal? Mr. Brant making first-years fight upper-years on their first day with a weapon?”

Halen shakes her head. “I’ve never heard of it, but I’ve also never seen anything like this.” She plays with my hair. “It’s so cool—I’ve just never seen anything like it.”

“What am I supposed to do?” I glance over at Earwig, who’s huddled with Mr. Brant. “It feels like them against me.”

“She’s one of his favorites.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

“Don’t focus on them.” Halen moves between them and me. “You have a connection with your weapon unlike anything anyone’s ever seen. That’s why everybody’s gathering to see. It’s also why Mr. Brant called for his star student.” She leans closer and whispers, “You scare him.”

“You’re crazy.”

“I’m not, and you really need to get control of what you say when you hold it.”

“I’ve hardly had any time to get used to it! An hour ago, I’d never even seen this thing.”

Zap!

I jump back and shake my arm. The trident floats in the water. I swear its glaring at me.

“You have to respect your weapon,” Halen says. “That’s the first rule of weaponry. It isn’t a piece of metal or a thing. Each weapon has its own enchantment and personality. If you respect it, it’ll respect you.”

“I’ll try to remember that.”

“There isn’t any room for trying. You have to get it through your head.”

I take a deep breath. “Should I apologize to it?”

“Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.”