Page 143 of Malcroix Bones Academy

I rolled my eyes. “As if that wasn’tveryobvious.”

Miranda laughed and nudged me with an elbow. “You were fine! I’m serious. You said you liked to dance in Overworld, didn’t you? I’m sure you’ll pick it up quick.”

I nodded, noncommittal. “I mean, yes… Ididlike dancing there. But I was never very good.”

“Right. And I’m sure your views on that are totally accurate and unbiased,” Miranda scoffed.

I scoffed back, and Miranda smacked her elbow into my ribs a second time. She jerked her chin towards Graham. “Besides, what fun is dancing if you can’t fall into the arms of your date every now and then?” she joked.

Graham walked over before I could reply.

He handed me another smoking drink, this one green, and nearly glowing.

I ignored him sizing up Draken, and Draken sizing him up right back.

Miranda didn’t ignore it. She watched the two of them openly, then turned and rolled her eyes at me, her mouth quirked in a half-smile.

“Men,” she scoffed. “They aresuchidiots.”

“Where’s Luc?” I asked, louder as the music started up again.

I’d really hoped Luc would ask Miranda to the dance. I’d not-so-subtly hinted the same to Luc during our last study session. While he hadn’t admitted it to meexactly,I was now ninety-percent certain that Lucifer James Mocking had an enormous crush on my best friend.

He didn’t seem ready to do anything about it, though.

“I think he decided not to come,” Miranda said, frowning. “He and Darragh are probably testing something deeply dangerous in one of the Experimental Magic Sheds. It’s the sort of thing he used to do at our old school, when everyone else was at an event like this. And Darragh is as bad as him. They’re positively frightening together.”

For the first time, Draken looked at me directly. He raised an eyebrow, his eyes knowing through the mask, then glanced at Miranda.

Clearly, Draken knew about Luc’s crush, too.

Was Miranda really as oblivious as she pretended?

The four of us found a table a little ways off from the bar. I tuned out a little, slowly finished off my drink, and drank part of another. Miranda leaned against the table next to me and the two of us watched dancers while Draken and Graham made awkward small talk about Skyhunt, professional teams they followed, and The Skulls’ prospects in the next match, which happened to be against California.

“Oh, I think we’ll definitely get it. Barring any self-sabotage,” Graham added under his breath.

Draken grunted. “Yeah. That would definitely help. What the hell happened with that, anyway?”

I couldn’t help but prick my ears, although I didn’t look over. I kept sipping at the glass of champagne I’d pulled off a tray. Miranda did the same, after aiming a quirked eyebrow at me, which made me think she was eavesdropping, too.

“He’s a bloody lunatic, that’s what happened,” Graham spat. “Lost his mind. And completely out of nowhere?”

“The rumor is, you said something that set him off,” Draken said, his voice holding a badly-disguised interest. “That you were talking shit about someone else.”

My eyebrows rose. That was news to me.

“Who knows what sets that wanker off?” Graham shot back, dismissive. “I wasn’t talking tohimat all. I was talking to Craven, and out of nowhere, the nutter justattackedme. He started punching me in midair, and when I tried to get away, he went completely mental?”

My lips pursed.

Caelumwasa nutter, it was true.

He was hot-headed, had zero impulse control, and an ego the size of the British Empire during its heyday. But would he really just go crazy andattacksomeone for no reason? In the middle of a tournament?

I had my doubts.

I’d already tried asking Graham what happened myself, in a more roundabout way, but I’d gotten significantly less information off him than Draken was getting now.