Page 44 of Malcroix Bones Academy

“It can be exhausting, really,” she added. “Especially when she’s in the middle of something new, or if a project isn’t going how she wants, or it’s past deadline…” Miranda shrugged. “But she really is quite good,” she admitted. “A bit of a genius, annoyingly.”

“She’s definitely more Hollywood than I am,” Draken repeated to me, nudging Miranda and smiling.

“Only because your mom shipped you off to Scotland and Japan when you were a kid, and then shipped you off to boarding school when your dad got too famous,” Miranda retorted. “I went to the same boarding school as you, if you’ll recall.”

“Still more Hollywood,” Draken said to me behind his hand. “Get her drunk, and she starts name-dropping like a reporter forHollywood Faere?”

Miranda slapped him, and sat up from his lap, and Draken smirked.

I’d closed my book a while ago.

I was still a little bewildered by how friendly they were to me.

“Why’re you studying so hard?” Draken asked, nudging my arm. “Didn’t anyone tell you classes haven’t actually started yet, Shadow? We have two whole days to screw around once we get there, and run around that invisible city that’s supposed to encircle the grounds of the school.” His eyes lit up as he smiled. “You should come with us!”

“Youhaveto come with us,” Miranda corrected.

“The queen has spoken,” Draken said, smirking back at me. “You’re stuck with us, I’m afraid. She’ll be insufferable otherwise.”

“Invisible city?” I asked, puzzled. “I knew it was ahiddencity, but how can a whole city be actually invisible?”

“You can’t see it, or pass through the magical shields, until you’ve been personally invited by one of the city’s official welcomers,” Draken explained. “They have this really clever split-dimension thing going on that no one knows how to duplicate, apparently. It keeps tourists at a minimum, although every alumnus can go there, of course, as well as anyone who’s ever worked there.”

“Yeah, it’s totally famous,” Miranda said, leaning on Draken’s lap again. “Filled with a bunch of magi-scientists and esotericist nerds, of course… not to mention magistorian nerds and magi-sociology nerds and magi-juris nerds and cryptozoologists and whatever else. It’s the foremost research and academic center in Britain?”

“If not the world,” Draken amended.

“This is Bonescastle, right?” I asked, fascinated.

“Of course,” Miranda said, laughing. “Is there anything that family touches that they didn’t put their name on, given the chance? They’d rename Magique itself to ‘Bonesworld,’ if they could. They likelywilldo it, if they ever figure out how to bribe enough people.”

“She’s not wrong,” Draken grunted. “Bloody Bones family and their spawn think they own all of magic itself, and likely all of us. They put their money into academia and the arts to cover up the fact they own half of Magical Europe, and got there by pretty shady means. Not to mention all the atrocities they’re rumored to have orchestrated over the centuries.”

“One of those spawn will be joining our class this year, you know,” Miranda said, her voice conspiratorial again. “He’solder, too. Twenty-one, I think? Twenty-two? Maybe even older. Supposedly he almost died of some disease when he was a kid, so entered school late. I read that it took an entire team of magi-physicians just to keep him alive. Likely on the blood of infants culled from the lesser classes?”

Draken snorted, and I laughed, in spite of myself.

Miranda added, “Anyway, he wasn’t well enough to go to school until he was older, and never bothered to skip for some reason, although, supposedly, he could have.” She rolled her eyes. “Not like it matters. He’ll never work a day in his life. He’s the direct heir of the current Bones patriarch?”

“Oh. I did hear that.” Draken made a face. “Malefic’s son. He’s supposed to be a right prick, isn’t he? A veritable clone of his father? My dad’s had a few run-ins with the elder Bones. He didn’t exactly have good things to say.”

“Smart, though,” Miranda conceded reluctantly. “He might be an utter bastard, but he’s reputed to be the one to beat in the core courses.” Her lip curled. “And he’s apparently sheer hell in practicals for magical combat. The rumor is, he put a few of his classmates in the hospital, back when they still let him duel with students. Most of his class in secondary school wouldn’t go up against him at all. He had to spar with teachers after third year, and got such a high score in exams, they accredited him for adult combat by the time he was fourteen.”

Draken looked deeply unimpressed.

“So he likes hurting people,” he said, grunting. “Hardly something to be proud of. Anyway, he must’ve had private tutors in every subject before he could walk. His father likely hired a Class-6 Warlock to teach him to fight, starting when he was two years old.”

“Probably,” Miranda agreed.

I was focused on something else by then. Alarm prickled through me as the full implications of their back and forth really hit me.

“We have tofightat this school?” I asked, looking between them. “Each other, I mean?”

They both looked at me, blinked.

“Of course,” Draken said. “Magical combat is a requirement. Two years minimum, or until you pass your adult exams.”

I swallowed, not thrilled to have a new thing to be anxious about.